Bestias

Bestias, Spanish for ‘Beast’ (thanks Duolingo), is a short film from V.R. Rao that explores a beastly and horrifying dilemma that befalls a young mother lost in a forest, stalked by monsters of her own making – with memories of her family the key to finding her way out.

The film follows Jess (LA Rivers) who is lost alone in the woods. Carrying only a backpack of supplies to see her through, she begins to be haunted by visions of her former life with partner Jeff (Steven Richardson) and son Jake (Ta’j Coleman) in happier times. Losing herself to the visions, she tries to interact with her family – only to find her hand passing through their ghostly apparitions. Demonic presences begin to encircle her as she loses grip with reality, confronting very real ghosts from the past.

There are positives to Bestias – a lush and vivid forest location intertwined seamlessly with household furniture from Jess’ past make for a dynamic and striking setting for the film. Director Rao creates a notable sensation of isolation and vulnerability as Jess finds her way through the trees – which make the unexpected accompaniment of lost family members all the more jarring and discomforting. The campsite quickly becomes a hellscape as the visions turn, and even some poor-quality visual effects are not enough to knock the viewer out of their investment in the film’s world.

Rao also allows quieter moments between Jess and Jake to play out in order to give priority to the characters and Jess’ development at the centre of the story. The film is not a traditional horror in this sense, operating as much as a family drama that has some serious trauma echoing in the form of beastly apparitions. It beats yet another woodland chase film with family background sprinkled in at an attempt to add some depth.

The traumatic inciting incident for the film’s story feels a little underdeveloped and underwhelming once viewers are given insight. The weight Jess carries is obvious, but more focus on how she feels she failed in her own role and responsibilities would add a layer of context to her haunting that audiences may feel is lacking. It’s a good thing that the filmmakers have understanding that the best horror films are not really about the monsters themselves, but the individuals being horrified. But in Bestias’ case, it feels a little self-justifying.

There is also an unfortunate lack of chemistry between LA Rivers and Ta’j Coleman that means the pair who share the screen for the majority of the film never really convince as mother and son. Individually they play their roles well, with Rivers in particular relishing in the physical demands of the role. But without an enticing dynamic between them, viewers lack a real connection to the family life that bears on Jess through the film.

Bestias has some genuinely interesting tweaks for a short horror film, and there is more to it than many of its contemporaries that lack as clear of an understanding of how to use the genre to do something interesting. It doesn’t quite land some essential elements of its characters, themes or story which let it down, but there are far more derivative low-budget horrors out there that are nowhere near as admirable as an attempt at doing something meaningful with the genre as this.