‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Is Powerful as a Filmmaker Directing His Estranged Daughter in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Making-of-a-Movie Drama
Rodrigo Sorogoyen's 'The Beloved' centers on a renowned director, Esteban Martínez, played by Javier Bardem, who reconnects with his estranged daughter Emilia by casting her in his new film. The movie explores their strained relationship, contrasting her painful memories with his denial of past misconduct. Set against the backdrop of a modern film production, the drama examines themes of memory, narcissism, and reconciliation.
- ▪Javier Bardem plays Esteban Martínez, a celebrated film director returning to Spain to shoot a movie in the desert.
- ▪His estranged daughter Emilia, portrayed by Victoria Luengo, is cast in a lead role, reigniting unresolved family tensions.
- ▪The film contrasts Emilia's recollection of her father's abusive behavior with his idealized version of their past.
- ▪'The Beloved' is a meta-cinematic drama that comments on the filmmaking process and the challenges of directorial authority today.
- ▪The central conflict revolves around differing memories of a traumatic incident involving Esteban at a screening of 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'.
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Home Film Reviews May 16, 2026 11:30am PT ‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Is Powerful as a Filmmaker Directing His Estranged Daughter in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Making-of-a-Movie Drama It echoes the central relationship in "Sentimental Value," though this one has serious fun with the filmmaking process. By Owen Gleiberman Plus Icon Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic @OwenGleiberman Latest ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ Review: John Travolta’s Slim and Winning Boyhood Reverie of Air Travel in the Lost-Paradise Age of TWA 18 hours ago ‘John Lennon: The Last Interview’ Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Documentary Captures John Lennon at His Happiest…and Most Messianic 23 hours ago ‘Fatherland’ Review: Thomas Mann and His Daughter Travel Across Germany in 1949 in Pawel Pawlikowski’s Meticulous…
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