The Beasts
An expatriate French couple operate an organic farm in the Spanish countryside but clash with villagers.
Despite its limited budget of $3.9M, The Beasts became a solid performer, earning $10.2M worldwide—a 163% return.
57 wins & 40 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Beasts (2022) showcases carefully calibrated dramatic framework, characteristic of Rodrigo Sorogoyen's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 18 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Antoine and Olga, a French couple, work on restoring their rural Spanish village home. They are committed to sustainable living and community preservation, embodying idealistic outsiders in a dying Galician hamlet.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when The Anta brothers openly threaten and intimidate Antoine in the village bar, escalating from passive-aggressive tensions to direct confrontation. The veneer of coexistence is shattered.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 34 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Antoine decides to install security cameras and document the harassment, actively choosing to resist rather than retreat. This decision commits them to direct conflict with the Anta brothers., moving from reaction to action.
At 70 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat A violent confrontation erupts. Antoine is physically attacked by the brothers in a brutal, extended sequence. The gloves are off—this is no longer intimidation but open warfare. False defeat: violence has won over reason., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 100 minutes (72% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Antoine disappears. The whiff of death is literal—we fear he has been murdered by the brothers. Olga is left alone, devastated, facing the collapse of everything they built together., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 109 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Olga and Marie return to Spain. New information emerges about the brothers' suspicious behavior. Olga synthesizes Antoine's determination with her own quieter strength, choosing to confront the truth rather than flee from it., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Beasts's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Beasts against these established plot points, we can identify how Rodrigo Sorogoyen utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Beasts within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Antoine and Olga, a French couple, work on restoring their rural Spanish village home. They are committed to sustainable living and community preservation, embodying idealistic outsiders in a dying Galician hamlet.
Theme
A villager comments on the conflict between progress and tradition: "Some want to leave, others want to stay." The thematic tension between holding on and letting go, civilization and wildness, is established.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the isolated village, the wind farm conflict, and the toxic relationship with neighbors Anta and Xan, two aggressive brothers who resent Antoine and Olga for opposing the wind turbine project that would bring money to struggling locals.
Disruption
The Anta brothers openly threaten and intimidate Antoine in the village bar, escalating from passive-aggressive tensions to direct confrontation. The veneer of coexistence is shattered.
Resistance
Antoine and Olga debate how to respond to the mounting harassment. Should they leave, fight back legally, or try to endure? Antoine becomes increasingly determined to stand his ground, while Olga grows more concerned about safety.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Antoine decides to install security cameras and document the harassment, actively choosing to resist rather than retreat. This decision commits them to direct conflict with the Anta brothers.
Mirror World
The relationship between Antoine and Olga deepens as a thematic mirror. Their partnership represents civilization, reason, and mutual respect—the opposite of the brutal, primitive masculinity embodied by the Anta brothers.
Premise
The escalating psychological warfare between Antoine and the brothers. Cameras capture provocations, legal complaints go nowhere, and the tension builds. The premise: can reason and law prevail over brute intimidation in a lawless rural setting?
Midpoint
A violent confrontation erupts. Antoine is physically attacked by the brothers in a brutal, extended sequence. The gloves are off—this is no longer intimidation but open warfare. False defeat: violence has won over reason.
Opposition
The aftermath of violence. The community sides with the brothers or remains silent. Legal authorities are ineffective. Antoine becomes obsessed with confronting them, while Olga fears for their lives. The couple's unity begins to crack under pressure.
Collapse
Antoine disappears. The whiff of death is literal—we fear he has been murdered by the brothers. Olga is left alone, devastated, facing the collapse of everything they built together.
Crisis
Time jump. Olga grieves in France, processing the loss. Their daughter Marie arrives. The dark night of the soul: Olga must decide whether to let the past die or seek answers and justice for Antoine.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Olga and Marie return to Spain. New information emerges about the brothers' suspicious behavior. Olga synthesizes Antoine's determination with her own quieter strength, choosing to confront the truth rather than flee from it.
Synthesis
The finale: Olga and Marie investigate, gathering evidence. Tensions escalate to a final confrontation with the Anta brothers. The primal violence that killed Antoine resurfaces, but this time the women are prepared. The beasts are faced.
Transformation
Closing image: Olga in the now-empty village, transformed by violence and loss. The idealistic outsider is gone; what remains is harder, scarred, but unbowed. The question of civilization versus savagery remains unresolved—both reside within us.