Critic Reviews

The Beloved is a fabulous film about filmmaking, and an astute and hard-hitting one about family dynamics. It’s also a great argument that the two should be kept apart at all times.

Far from defending the behavior of this abusive artist, Sorogoyen exposes him as trapped between his memories and his imagination.

Reminiscent of Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, this film promises less and then gives more than one would have expected—yet another vivisection of family animosities and the importance of art in their lives.

It is a fierce rejection of anything starry-eyed about movie-making and a quietly gripping psychological study of a painful confrontation between father and daughter.

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s superbly acted and dramatically compelling study of generational rifts, gender divides and the deep, unhealing scars in a father-daughter relationship has a muscular, propulsive momentum.

It’s been a while since Bardem had a role this straight-up that he could sink his choppers into. He is always a formidable presence, but since Esteban is himself a force — charismatic and manipulative, ruthless but cunningly quiet about it — for a while we just feel like we’re watching Javier Bardem in all his handsome, magnetic and unmistakable aggro Javier glory. The subtle power of his performance, and it’s a terrific one, is that it takes us a while to grasp the kind of mind games Esteban is a master of.

Paper Tiger is still a thriller, because the events that play out on screen wouldn’t allow it not to be. But rarely do you find a thriller with this much heart.

Through Esteban and Emilia’s troubled shoot, we get a glimpse of what must be sacrificed – ego, pride, creative control – to achieve reconciliation. Given what we’re talking about, it’s a wonder that films manage to get made at all. In that vein, perhaps The Beloved, like its fictional and real-life forebears, confirms that moviemaking truly is a miracle.

Sorogoyen’s film meanders, and some of his visual flourishes are more puzzling than profound. Still, the two lead performances and one superb scene later in the film elevate the entire affair.

It writes what can feel like the equivalent of a hate letter to the movies (or at least the potential for abuse that can come from how they’re made) before eventually coming to his own halting emotional upswing about the enduring power they still hold.