The Beloved, the new Movistar Plus+ original film by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, selected for the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, had its world premiere this weekend, where it was met with outstanding reviews from the press and a standing ovation lasting more than seven minutes.

Walking the red carpet were actors Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo, Raúl Arévalo and Marina Foïs, director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, screenwriter Isabel Peña, Guillermo Farré (Movistar Plus), Eduardo Villanueva and Nacho Lavilla (Caballo Films).



Movistar Plus is experiencing a historic moment at the Cannes Film Festival. The Beloved is the first of the platform’s three titles in the Official Selection. In the coming days, the original film La bola negra, by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, and Amarga Navidad, by Pedro Almodóvar—with the notable participation of Movistar Plus—will also compete.

During the press conference held this morning, the team commented:

Rodrigo Sorogoyen: “I think we’ve been improving and making qualitative leaps with every film. We wanted to write a screenplay that felt very different from As Bestas. In El ser querido, we shot the most complex scene of my career. It was in the script from the very beginning. Once it was written, we realized how important this sequence was, and later it became the hardest thing to shoot. A 15-minute sequence took us five days to film. That’s something you can handle when you’re surrounded by the right people. Once we had shot that sequence, we felt the rest would be easier. (...) We couldn’t be more grateful to Cannes Film Festival. Last night was truly unforgettable".

Javier Bardem: “It was very easy to find a balance with Victoria Luengo. She is extraordinary — she’s not afraid to go wherever the character takes her. One of the things I appreciate most is Rodrigo’s ability to bring out the best in us. (...) I want to thank Thierry Frémaux and the festival for bringing Spanish cinema to this event. The three Spanish films that are here truly deserve it. The fact that they are here says a lot about our industry, and it makes us very proud. (...) Rodrigo is a great director. The level of precision he has achieved in the performances has to do with what’s written, with very precise notes that call for truth, that touch the honesty they are searching for, and then placing the camera… You can tell he enjoys it, and he communicates that".

Victoria Luengo: “Javier and I didn’t see each other during the preparation of the film. Rodrigo wanted to keep us apart in order to create that real sense of distance, so the first time we saw each other was while shooting the opening sequence. Rodrigo and I wrote a biography for Emilia’s character. What mattered was everything the character had bottled up and was unable to say. Standing in front of Javier and letting myself go. I felt a level of freedom that is very difficult to achieve on a film set. (…) Cinema is a mirror that confronts each of us with the stage of life we are going through at that moment. I’ve been fortunate to express things through the characters I’ve played. That has been healing for me".

Isabel Peña: “We wanted to tell a different kind of story. A story about people, where the screenplay itself would feel more invisible. The project originated during a lunch among friends in Bilbao, where we started talking about relationships with our parents. Although the contexts were very different, the common elements were what gave rise to this story. A year later, we met Javier at the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, and he loved the project. That’s why the character’s surname is Martínez, in honor of that lunch".

Marina Foïs: “In Rodrigo’s cinema, stories don’t exist just for the sake of existing. His working method is very special because he gives actors an extraordinary sense of confidence".

View and download photos from the red carpet and presentation.



Throughout his career, Rodrigo Sorogoyen has directed award‑winning and critically acclaimed films such as As bestas, which had its world premiere in the Cannes Première section before becoming one of the most decorated films of the year, winning awards such as the César for Best Foreign Film and nine Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He recently premiered the series Los años nuevos in the Official Selection (Out of Competition) at the Venice International Film Festival, as well as the nationally and internationally awarded Antidisturbios, both Movistar Plus original series.

The cast of The Beloved also includes Raúl Arévalo, Marina Foïs, Mourad Ouani, Raúl Prieto, Melina Matthews, Laura Birn, Nuria Prims, Pablo Gómez‑Pando, Pepa Gracia and Malena Villa.

The Beloved is a Movistar Plus original film, co‑produced with Caballo Films and El Ser Querido AIE, and in France with Le Pacte, in association with Canal+. It is financed by the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) and Creative Europe MEDIA, with support from the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) and the Community of Madrid. International sales are handled by Goodfellas.

In Spain, the film will be released in cinemas on 26 August, distributed by A Contracorriente Films, and will later arrive exclusively on the Movistar Plus platform.

SYNOPSIS – “THE BELOVED”

Acclaimed film director Esteban Martínez is a legend both for his films and for his past marked by violence and excess. For his new project, he offers a role to his daughter Emilia under the pretext of helping her stalled acting career. Living together during the shoot will create an intimacy they haven’t shared in years, but it will also reopen old wounds that were never healed.
Discover all Movistar Plus original films.

Online version of the press release.