Following his thriller The Beasts (2022), Rodrigo Sorogoyen changes course to craft a complex and delicate melodrama delving into the relationship between a father and daughter. Javier Bardem plays Esteban, a renowned film director who, after a 13-year estrangement, offers the lead role in his new film to his daughter Emilia in an effort to reconnect. Sorogoyen simultaneously portrays an egocentric film director who rules the set through a reign of terror and a young woman forced to confront the father who abandoned her family long ago. Above all, the duel between two exceptional actors - Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo - is the very heartbeat of the film. The Beloved deconstructs the myth of the omnipotent artist while capturing the reality of filmmaking with astonishing authenticity. The unbroken 18-minute dialogue in the opening is reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s masterpieces, standing out as one of the most intense and unforgettable sequences of the year.
Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Oscar-nominated for Mother (2019) and winner of six Goya Awards, has built an acclaimed career in film and television. His works include The Realm (2018), Riot Police (2020), The Beasts (2022)—winner of nine Goyas, a César and Cannes acclaim—and The New Years (2024). His films and series have earned major international awards and festival recognition.
From Tokyo International Film Festival 2026, No. 39