A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Beloved”. (From the 2026 London Film Festival). (2026, 3.5*, NR).
Original title: El ser querido
Losing out to La Bola Negra as Spain’s (obvious) submission to the International Oscar race, The Beloved is a drama based around a the relationship of a father (Javier Bardem) with his long estranged daughter (Victoria Luengo). As the father is a famous film director and we spend a lot of the film behind the cameras in the shooting of the ‘film within the film’, the Academy would have probably liked that. But, I have to say, the Spanish jury made the right choice: I’d give La Bola Negra a really strong chance of winning the Oscar.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Esteban (Javier Bardem) is an Oscar-winning director. His daughter Emilia (Victoria Luengo) a struggling actor. He returns to Spain to make a film about the country’s exploitation of Western Sahara and offers her the lead role.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This film has not yet received a classification by the BBFC, but I would expect it to be a 15 based on the tense themes and some strong language.)
Talent:
Starring: Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo, Melina Matthews, Marina Foïs, Malena Villa.
Directed by: Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
Written by: Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
Running Time: 2h 15m.
Review:
Positives:
- The opening of the film is a tense two-hander between father and daughter, Esteban Martínez (Javier Bardem) and Emilia Vera (Victoria Luengo). The conversation reveals elements of their relationship in an effective ‘show don’t tell’ manner. It’s actually quite uncomfortably claustrophobic, with extreme close ups on the actors: perfect for showing off Bardem’s acting prowess and Luengo proves her acting chops too.
- The script nicely positions Esteban as a world-famous figure (randoms ask him for photos) and it is entertaining to see him doing a Blu-Ray director’s commentary for one of his earlier films.
- The film nicely reflects life on a set. We sometimes see the scene about to be filmed through the eyes of the DP, the contrast and brightness being adjusted while we watch. One particular scene – involving eating a mackerel breakfast – is excruciating. Having appeared as a Supporting Artist in a scene involving eating (a pub lunch in the BBC series The Sixth Commandment with Timothy Spall) I have full sympathy for the stars who go through multiple takes, having to eat plate after plate of tepid food until they get it right. In this example, faced with dodgy camera work from the film’s DP and corpsing from the actors, Esteban goes off the deep end, bordering on bullying. It is a brilliantly unsettling scene.
- Of course, this working relationship is not going to heal the rift between father and daughter, however much they would like it to. “You cannot pretend that movies fix everything” Esteban is told.
- The film uses a really great quote by actress Liv Ullmann: “The closer the camera gets, the more you have to drop the mask“. The film kept switching between colour and black-and-white which appeared to be quite random to me. But my learned friend ‘On’ Bashar (of the Movie Bread Club podcast and who actually makes movies), thinks that the black-and-white segments signify when the actor is feeling particularly exposed and vulnerable and their ‘mask’ slips. I think he’s probably right.
- One of the stars of the show is the scenery of Fuerteventura: the second-largest and oldest island in the Canary Islands. This is standing in for Western Sahara which is the setting for Esteban’s film, “Desert”: a drama/love story set in a 1932 rebellion against Spain’s colonisation of the country. There is one shot in particular of the coastline, with the film crew travelling back from the shoot at dusk, that is extraordinarily beautiful.
Negatives:
- This is a really slow-burn movie that takes its precious time telling its story. Those who like a faster moving plot will get bored with this one. It tested my patience a bit.
- Given the quality of the camerawork for most of the film, there are a few moments where the camera seemed to wobble all over the place, as if handheld, when I would have expected it to be static.
Summary Thoughts:
A really impressive piece of filmmaking, anchored by strong performances from that ever-brilliant Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo who also impresses. At 135 minutes, it rather outstayed its welcome with me though…. partly, I suspect, through my film festival fatigue!
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I5LLG2XBco.
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