To Kill the Beast
2021 · Directed by Agustina San Martín
Original language: Spanish
- mystery
- fantasy
- thriller
The story
Emilia arrives at her Aunt Ines’ hostel at the Argentina-Brazil border looking for her long lost brother. In this luxuriant jungle, a dangerous beast believed to be the spirit of an evil man taking the form of different animals seems to be roaming around. On a journey to sexual awakening, Emilia will have to confront her past in order to kill the beast.
What it’s like
Humid green jungle at the Argentina-Brazil border, filmed in a hushed, observational register that lets heat and undergrowth fill the frame. The mood is uneasy and dreamlike, a slow-burn mystery with folkloric undertones in which the forest feels both ordinary and watchful. Pacing is patient, with long stretches of quiet around a rural hostel and the trees, and occasional sharper moments when something unseen stirs. Its emotional core is a young woman's coming-of-age, measured and searching, as grief for a missing brother tangles with her own growing desire and she slowly faces a past she has been avoiding. Intensity sits in the middle: dread and the pull of a hunted creature rather than gore, with frank, intimate scenes as a lesbian romance develops. Sound leans on insects, rain and rustling leaves, with any score kept sparse so the jungle stays present. Suited to a quiet evening alone, for viewers who enjoy slow mystery, folklore-tinged atmosphere, and queer coming-of-age stories rooted in a specific landscape.
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