El ser querido
2026, 135 min.

prepremiere screening

Awards and selections: Cannes Film Festival – Main Competition, Toronto International Film Festival
Directed by: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Country: Spain, France

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

Master of Spanish suspense Rodrigo Sorogoyen returns with a dense, multilayered drama about the boundary between life and art. A fascinating acting duel between Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo in a story of exploitation, attempts at redemption, and toxic family ties.

Acclaimed director Esteban (Javier Bardem) decides to make a film with his estranged daughter Emilia (Victoria Luengo), a talented actress who has yet to break through. Their joint project on the picturesque island of Fuerteventura soon ceases to be a straightforward filmmaking endeavor, becoming instead a battleground in their struggle to rebuild lost trust. Charismatic and domineering, the father ruthlessly exploits his daughter’s personal pain, transforming emotional manipulation into the artistic substance of his own work. As the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur, both must confront their unresolved past and their own pride.

In the media

«When Sorogoyen opens a film with a 20-minute dialogue sequence, you immediately know that magic is happening on screen. Bardem and Luengo make an extraordinary, superb duo.»
– Jan Tracz, Filmweb

«Javier Bardem gives the most frightening performance of his career… A ruthless rejection of all naivety and idealization of the filmmaking process.»
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, read the full review here 

«The film rests monumentally on Javier Bardem’s shoulders… So far, the best film of this year’s Cannes and a thrilling, emotionally multilayered triumph.»
– Jack Salvadori, UK Film Review. Read the full review here 

Rodrigo Sorogoyen

One of the most important and acclaimed contemporary Spanish directors. He rose to prominence with dark, suspenseful dramas and psychological thrillers such as The Realm, May God Save Us, and The Beasts (2022), which received numerous Goya Awards and a César. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his short film Mother. In The Beloved, he once again combines a remarkable formal sensibility with an uncompromising observation of human weaknesses.

Tags: drama, Spain, father-daughter relationship, art, film set, toxic relationship, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Poland is a partner of the screening.