The bond between a parent and a child is a fascinating concept, since every family has a different dynamic, with some being more positive than others. However, it is universally acknowledged that we are the product of our surroundings, and the relationship with those who brought us into the world (even if we don’t have direct contact with them) can inform so much of how we grow as individuals. This takes on an even more challenging form when it comes to those of us who look towards our families as inspiration when it comes to creating art, since these people are often influential in ways that we sometimes don’t even realise. This is where Rodrigo Sorogoyen settles when developing The Beloved (Spanish: El ser querido), his beautiful and evocative character-driven drama in which we are introduced to Esteban Martínez, an acclaimed film director who has achieved just about everything someone in his industry craves, winning every award imaginable and earning enough admiration from the public to sustain him for the rest of his career. However, the one person he has not been able to connect with is his daughter Emilia Vera, with whom he has a tense relationship. After a period of estrangement, she agrees to meet with him, and he makes her an irresistible offer: a starring role in his next film. Despite her limited acting experience (she has always lived in the shadow of her far more famous father, something that plays a part in her hostile feelings towards him) and the fact that she is suddenly being thrust back into the life of a man with whom she has very rarely gotten along, she agrees to the opportunity, not realising that this collaboration – framed as a chance for father and daughter to work on their relationship – will ultimately open old wounds that many would prefer remained closed. A poignant, hauntingly beautiful examination of family and culture from the perspective of two very complex individuals seeking not only resolution from their past tensions, but also a renewal of their relationship, The Beloved is a simple but compelling glimpse into a dynamic that will be recognisable to many viewers, especially those who have ever had complex relationships with family members who they believe never truly understood them as much as they should.

If there is something that the film industry loves more than stories of family, it is the art of filmmaking itself. These are two core themes to which just about every film can be traced back, which immediately establishes The Beloved as an example of a film that is trying to reach as far as it can to cover as many complex ideas as possible. In the case of this film, we are introduced to two characters who both work in the industry – one a very successful filmmaker, the other a failed actor whose self-confidence and belief in her skills has been waning for years – and who are connected by the fact that they are father and daughter. This is immediately a very compelling premise, and one that Sorogoyen explores extensively – every parent wants their child to be more successful and lead a happier, richer life than them, but this film gives an example of one where, despite his efforts to elevate his daughter and give her a better opportunity to improve her situation and pursue her dreams, he cannot convince her to let go of the past, which is essentially what causes the tensions (which they had initially hoped to set aside through the act of collaborating on the film that takes up the majority of the story) to not only remain unresolved, but actually compound in intensity. It’s a very challenging film in how it presents the dynamic between these two characters, using the act of creating art as an allegory for the ongoing psychological tug-of-war between Esteban and Emilia, both of whom are trying their best to work through their problems, only to realise that they truly may be incompatible, and that perhaps distance is indeed the only way for them to move forward. The conundrum at the heart of The Beloved is fascinating, since it asks a simple question: is it worth the mental exhaustion to resolve a tense relationship, or is it healthier to just agree to part ways indefinitely, knowing that you won’t be active participants in each other’s lives, but at least have the peace of mind knowing that the effort was made? It seems like a simple question to answer, but as Sorogoyen shows throughout the film, it isn’t always that easy, leading to a riveting and beautifully poetic story of two restless souls seeking peace, but finding complicated feelings emerging along the way, which adds to the already complex relationship between them.

One of the many reasons we can laud The Beloved as a very special film comes in the fact that it features an absolutely stellar protagonist in the form of Esteban Martínez, who is an ingenious creation. Very often we find that the role of fictional film industry professionals is nothing more than thinly-written archetypes compressed into falsely interesting characters. In the case of this film, we find that Esteban is a perfect encapsulation of the idea of a modern filmmaker, someone who is constantly seeking meaning, but struggling to find it as a result of always being trapped in his own mind, made worse by his inability to adapt to the times, which makes every directorial endeavour a challenge. The character is brilliantly brought to life by Javier Bardem, who delivers one of his best performances in years, playing a man who is constantly trying to make sense of a world he no longer recognises, but still finding ways to understand it through his own unique perspective. Bardem is someone who is always capable of taking any character and making it his own, and in collaborating with Sorogoyen, who tends to bring out the absolute best in his actors, his performance here is not any exception. There’s something so wonderful about how Bardem navigates the many nuances of this character, playing a man who simply wants to express himself, but finds himself constantly at odds with those around him. A lot of credit needs to go to Victoria Luengo as well, since we come to realise a subtle performance like the one by Bardem can only work when it is complemented by a broader but equally daring performance by his on-screen daughter, who portrays the complex and difficult Emilia Vera with such incredible conviction. Unlike Bardem, who has been enormously established for decades, Luengo is still a relatively new voice in contemporary cinema, having done some terrific work over the years, but who has also seemingly been poised to have her big breakthrough, which seems to be coming in the form of this film. To her credit, she manages to hold her own against Bardem, at no point allowing herself to be eclipsed by him, and instead working closely alongside him to create this memorable character. The game of cat-and-mouse played by the pair is incredible, and ends up being the emotional anchor for a film that certainly makes exceptional use of both leads.

The Beloved has a strong concept, and the actors do very well when it comes to realising the core ideas that drive this story. However, it becomes clear that there is much more at play here than just a straightforward drama about familial tensions. Sorogoyen has made it obvious that he doesn’t approach his stories as simply moving between coherent points, and while this is perhaps his most straightforward and unfurnished film as far as subject matter and execution goes, there are certain elements that are far more nuanced than just a very traditional familial melodrama. Much of the impact of this film comes in how it executes its core ideas – tonally, The Beloved is a relatively straightforward affair, being a simple drama that is occasionally punctuated by subtle humour, which creates a very effective tonal balance from which some of the more complex emotions can emerge organically. This is not an example of a film that craves attention by placing its characters in increasingly difficult situations, choosing instead to focus on more mature themes, exploring the dynamic between Esteban and Emilia (as well as a range of other characters who exist on the periphery but are nonetheless essential to the story), in a subtle and nuanced way, never deviating from the deep humanity that drives this story forward. Despite having ample opportunity, Sorogoyen never aims for the obvious emotions – there were many instances where a different director would’ve resorted to more petty, obvious emotions where the message can become somewhat overwrought (not to diminish a very good film, but we can see a lot of this in last year’s Sentimental Value, which has a near-identical premise, but is not nearly as insightful on the topic of the tense relationship between a father and his daughters), and where Sorogoyen shows his clear preference for more nuanced, delicate subject matter that doesn’t rely quite as heavily on conventional storytelling techniques, pursuing deeper truths that feel so much more engaging and enthralling when we see them in practice.

Throughout The Beloved, we find Sorogoyen weaving a complex, deeply moving story of a father and daughter as they attempt to work through their past tensions, realising that despite their best efforts, they are never truly going to be able to get along in the way that they would hope, and instead settle on forgiving one another without being impelled to continue with a relationship that was never going to work, regardless of how much effort they both put in. The film is a beautiful but challenging exploration of familial bonds and how sometimes the best way to resolve underlying tensions is simply to let them go, acknowledging that not everything is ever going to be neatly resolved. Instead, we find that the film builds itself around the steadily growing tensions between these characters, who feel like such genuinely human individuals, people who seem simple on the surface but have complexities that the film intentionally doesn’t entirely unravel, leaving enough room for ambiguity to become part of the narrative, which is a bold decision and one that feels so refreshing, even when it does contain many conventional elements. As a whole, The Beloved is not a film that is difficult to understand in terms of its thematic content – it has a simple premise, a bold approach and a pair of leading performances that are absolutely incredible, especially when the film allows the two leads to play into their inherent quirks that come with these roles. It’s by no means a film that redefines the genre, but rather than relying on conventions, it finds deep humanity in places where a lesser film may overlook it. It eventually becomes a beautifully poetic tribute to familial bonds, as filtered through the eyes of a pair of characters who seem to be quite complex, but who also have a deep sense of resonance embedded within them. It’s an extraordinary piece of filmmaking, and another example of why Sorogoyen is one of our most exciting and deeply compassionate observers of the human condition.