The Beloved: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s film tells the story of a young woman, a struggling actress, who is invited by her famous estranged father, a film director, to play a major role in his latest film. Their relationship on set isn’t easy, as he is known for being a brutal director and seems to want to use the same heavy hand with his fatherhood. Of course, the particulars of their relationship are specific, but it’s still, nevertheless, very relatable. The strong performances help to sell the story and relationship: Victoria Luengo plays the daughter as someone deeply uneasy with the whole situation; Javier Bardem is convincing both as the alpha dog playing mellow and when the rage takes the best out of him. Editor Alberto del Campo gives the film a good pace and mixes cinematographer Alejandro de Pablo’s images (who varies stock and aspect ratios during the film) well; the preference for tight close-ups reinforces the sense of intimacy of the scenes and story. Composer Olivier Arson’s spare musical score is beautiful.