The Beloved / The Beloved

The renowned director Esteban Martínez is a living legend, not only because of his impressive films, but also because of a past full of violence and decadent excesses. For his latest project, he gives his daughter Emilia a role, ostensibly to breathe new life into her stalled acting career. Working together on set brings them closer together than has been the case in years, but at the same time, old, never-healed wounds are ripped open again. Regisseur Rodrigo Sorogoyen has already built up an impressive oeuvre for himself - from the psychological thriller ‘The Beasts’ to the political drama ‘The Candidate’ - and is now focusing - like so many directors sooner or later in their career - on a film about films and filmmaking, balancing on the edge of autofiction. The lead role of the self-satisfied, slightly eccentric artist is reserved for a strong Javier Bardem (‘No Country For Old Men’). ''Javier Bardem is grandiose as a toxic filmmaker who wants to reconcile with his daughter.'' De Standaard ****