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CANNES 2022 Cannes Première

Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña • Director and screenwriter of The Beasts

"The countryside offers the same highs and lows as the city”

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- CANNES 2022: One of the most creative and prolific duos in Spanish cinema presents their sixth work on the Croisette, ready to create a stir as usual

Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña  • Director and screenwriter of The Beasts

After screening their previous films at category A festivals such as San Sebastian (May God Save Us [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
film profile
]
, The Realm [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isabel P…
film profile
]
, Riot Police [+see also:
series review
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
series profile
]
) and Venice (Madre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
film profile
]
), the inseparable artistic duo formed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña bring to the 75th Cannes Film Festival, in the Cannes Première section, their new film, born from the combination of their talents, The Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
film profile
]
.

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Cineuropa: I imagine it's a major step forward to be at the French festival.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen:
Yes, for the film and for my career it's a giant step.

Isabel Peña: It's the nicest reward we can imagine for the film, a great start and a new adventure, so we are very happy.

With this feature film you have left the cityscape of your previous films and entered nature, with all that this entails.
RS:
We wanted a change: we are always trying to live new adventures as well as offer new things. It was a script written a long time ago, but we never found the right moment to shoot it. After the Riot Police series we decided it would be our next film. And the countryside has the same highs and lows as the city.

IP: The human structures are the same, albeit nuanced: the organisation of violence moves from one place to another without moving too much.

But did you have previous contact with the towns, in this case Galicia, where the action of The Beasts takes place?
IP:
We made many trips to those valleys, villages and roadside bars where dominoes are played, to soak up the Galician idiosyncrasy, which is very unique, in order to understand it. My partner is from there and I have always found that region fascinating, from its language to its humour, with its constant irony.

The plot of The Beasts sounds familiar, is it based on a news story?
IP:
It is inspired by real events: we based it on a news story about a Belgian who had problems with people from a Galician village. Then we really ran with it: we changed everything from the names to much of the plot and motivations. The film is a fable about a true story. We detach ourselves from it as much as possible.

RS: We try to create characters and conflicts that are neither black nor white. There is a scene where the antagonist states their motives, and they are perfectly understood. But the style in which they try to oppose or outdo each other is vengeful.

It is very difficult to take sides in some conflicts.
RS:
We live in a world where the other person is not listened to and we all position ourselves in black or white, with no grey areas. A lot of reflection and dialogue is needed, but this is becoming less and less the case because fanaticism prevails, and the arguments of others are ignored.

Plus, conflicts between neighbours are constant, not only in the countryside, but also in cities and even between countries.
RS:
That's why we decided to make the protagonists French people living in Spain. There are always problems with neighbours: this is what coexistence entails, conflicts arise, and we have to try to solve them in the best way possible.

IP: Not being able to coexist is one of the most uncomfortable and violent things there can be, because you come across these people every day, you can't run away.

Filming was done in two phases... did it help?
RS:
Yes, it helps the story to take on more weight. Filming in six weeks is not the same as filming for four months. It was a brutal experience: we arrived in summer, with everything green and idyllic, and then returned in the cold winter, which was very hard, but it was good to represent the progress of the story and the characters.

IP: I don't usually go to the shoots, but on this occasion I did go in the impasse between the summer and winter shoots, because we were unsure about a key scene, we came up with a new one and now we are happy with the change. When you are there with the actors, who give voice to your words, there is something alive and it's good to be around to transform with that: there were small, big changes.

Rodrigo, you shot an episode of Apagón (read more) in between. Are you overactive?
RS:
Yes, I am, but now I have been forced to stop, as they have cancelled the Civil War series we had planned with Movistar Plus+. We wanted to follow in the wake of Riot Police with them: they haven't explained the reasons, but everyone can draw their own conclusions. I hope to see it somewhere else...

You are in the right place at the right time: Cannes and its market.
RS:
Well, we’re here for it!

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(Translated by Vicky York)

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