A bizarre plot, based on a true story. Dutch organic farmer Martin moves to a small village in Galicia and get murdered by a fellow villager. This strange story is now put on film in the movie As Bestas and wins several movie awards.
Awards in Europa, discussion in Galicia
The movie As Bestas (es: las bestias, en: the beasts) has won several awards at the Goya’s and the César, also know as the Spanish and French Oscars.
The movie attracks many visitors in Spain, but also much discusion, especial in Galicia. Reason: Do we get to see the real Galicia in this movie? Live is hard in the poor and wide inland of Galicia, but the ambiance is not what you see in the movie feel many gallegos. In the movie xenophobia is a real topic. The main character, who is from abroad, doesn’t feel welcom in Galicia. Many inhabitants do not recognise this part of the movie.
What is the movie about?
The movie As Bestas follows a French couple that moves to the inlands of Galicia. In the village a discussion arises about a wind farm and the main character gets confronted with xenophobia from the other villagers. The French and the locals get in front of each other. How this ends you’ll have to see in the movie, although you probably get an idea when reading further on this page.
It’s not just the story that is interesting, so is the landscape of Galicia! In the movie you see the wide and rough inlands of Galicia. I can imagine this landscape is unknown to many. It’s the other side of Galicia, no beach and pelgrims, but a wide countryside where live is tough.
The true story of a Dutch couple
Most bizarre fact of this movie is that it’s based on a true story. This story is about the Dutch couple Martin and Margo. This Dutch couple moves to Santoalla in Galicia in the beginning of this millenium. Santoalla is a small village in the inlands of Galicia, it’s located below Lugo and to Portomarin. The move there to find peace and nature. When they move to the village there lives just one other familia. An older couple with their two adult sons. At the beginning they establish a good relation, but in time the relation gets worse due to discussion about the use of the forest.
On a given day in 2010 Martin suddenly disappears. It takes 4 years before his body and car got found. It’s also not before then it got discovered he was murdered!
After some research the youngest son of the other family in the village get arrested and he confesses.
What happens next may be surprising. To the surprise of many the widow Margo stays in Santoalla. She wants to continue Martin’s dream. She also has the feeling that by leaving she leafs him as well.
In 2016 a documentary about this story was made. It’s called Santoalla. In the documentary the widow tells about the happening and her motives to stay in the village, where she is still living today.
