The Beloved Review: Javier Bardem Stuns In Intimate Father-Daughter Drama [TIFF]

Javier Bardem leads an intimate, lengthy Spanish-language family drama about a filmmaker father's strained relationship with his adult daughter.

Published Sep 12, 2026, 9:51 AM EDT

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Last year, Sentimental Value chronicled a filmmaker’s estranged relationship with his adult daughter, an actress in her own right, and received acclaim for its stirring emotion. This year, The Beloved, another movie about a filmmaker’s estranged relationship with his adult daughter, also an actress, makes its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and similarly excels. It's an absorbing portrait of the enduring challenges of grappling with our parents’ missteps, and how accountability doesn’t always seamlessly follow remorse.

The Beloved follows Esteban Martinez (Javier Bardem), an acclaimed Spanish filmmaker who returns to his homeland to film a new movie. In preparation for the start of production, Esteban approaches his estranged daughter Emilia (Victoria Luengo) to star, despite unresolved conflict in their relationship and Emilia not having seen her father since she was 13 years old. Trepidatiously accepting her father’s offer, Emilia finds that old paternal wounds have not healed.

The Beloved Authentically Navigates The Complexities Of A Strained Father-Daughter Relationship

Director Roberto Sorogoyen's film begins in engrossing fashion with a prolonged conversation between Esteban and Emilia, in which the two awkwardly make pleasantries, stumble over their words, and eventually discuss the prospect of collaborating. With ever-increasing close-ups that amplify the quietly escalating tension of their encounter, Sorogoyen engineers a gripping start, made all the more commendable given that it is simply two actors exchanging dialogue about fairly routine matters while having a meal together.

Upon the reveal of the title card and the film-within-the-film kicking into gear, The Beloved navigates the dynamics of a strained father-daughter relationship with restraint and nuance. Bardem’s Esteban clearly holds regret for vanishing from his daughter’s life, and sees casting her in his movie as some kind of penance, although he insists she earned the role on her own merit. Despite his remorse, however, Esteban is reluctant to take accountability for his actions. He goes on the defensive when his daughter pushes back against his perception that childhood trips to the cinema were joyful amid his drunken, disorderly behavior.

It’s through the portrayal of a relatively amicable conflict between father and daughter that The Beloved becomes such an organic, intimate viewing experience.

Emilia, meanwhile, does not approach her father with the open antagonism one would expect. Instead, she bites her tongue and rolls with her father's plan to make her the star of a feature film, despite her reservations.

It’s through the portrayal of a relatively amicable conflict between father and daughter that The Beloved becomes such an organic, intimate viewing experience. Neither Sorgoyen nor his performers opt for overly theatrical portrayals of familial conflict, instead depicting strain in often disturbingly relatable ways.

As the production of Esteban’s film unfolds, Sorogoyen gradually builds the tension between the filmmaker and his daughter. The latter is particularly troubled, although not in an overly explicit manner, by the fact that Esteban has two young children, whom he appears to be a good father to. Witnessing her father be the father that she needed but never had to two unknown children deeply pains her, as do the cast and crew’s conversations about Esteban’s excellence as a filmmaker. The world and Esteban may see his achievements in a certain light, but a daughter left to live a life alone with her mother views things differently.

Javier Bardem And Victoria Luengo Sell The Subtleties Required Of Their Characters

The understated conflict between father and daughter, which is the crux of the film, simply would not work as well as it does without performers exceedingly capable of selling delicate subtleties of strain, remorse, and love. Bardem and Luengo are exactly that. Bardem makes such a fascinatingly complex character of Esteban, a man who seeks forgiveness but is unwilling to confront the damage he has brought upon his firstborn child. Bardem does well to not make Esteban a detestable character from the start, instead earning unexpected empathy from the audience through his authentic portrayal of a man reckoning with, but not quite willing to resolve, the missteps of his past.

Luengo is similarly excellent as Emilia. She doesn’t overplay her character’s anger, sadness, and disappointment, but allows the audience to palpably feel all of these emotions (and more) through non-verbal behaviors alone.

After a nail-bitingly tense scene on the set of Esteban’s movie, The Beloved unfortunately tapers out in its final stretch. The 130+ minute length is certainly felt, especially as the film doesn’t offer much in the way of a satisfying resolution to the story. But the preceding stretch is characterized by such rich character work and authenticity that The Beloved will ultimately go down as a quality entry of this year’s TIFF.

The Beloved screened at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.