If you haven’t seen Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” it’s well worth checking out. It made a major splash at Cannes 2022 and cemented Sorogoyen as a major talent to watch (this was his fourth feature). The film also swept the Goyas, winning nine awards.
“The Beasts” tackled an expatriate French couple, operating an organic farm in the Spanish countryside, who start to clash with the villagers over politics. Things turn very dark as they start to realize they are not welcome in the area.
Sorogoyen is now working on his next film, and it’s set to star Javier Bardem (via Deadline). The film is titled “El Ser Querido” and will be directed by Sorogoyen from a screenplay he penned with Isabel Peña. Also starring is Victoria Luengo (“The Room Next Door”). The film is expected to start production in January 2025.
The official synopsis reads: “In ‘El ser querido,” an acclaimed film director and his daughter, an unsuccessful actress, shoot a film together after years of estrangement and a difficult past that none of them want to talk about.”
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.