The is the most difficult review to give as this is one of the most rare, intelligent and thought provoking films I have ever watched; at least here on Amazon.
I've given it much thought but perhaps one can only provide a purely intuitive and visceral response to the plot.

The opening scene strongly suggests the Moirai, the three fates of Greek mythology; and we see a group of people who are struggling against the bonds of fate woven by the three Moirai sitters, Clothos, Atropos and Lachesis. The Oresteia Trilogy instantly flashed in my mind as well.
Oh yeah, that's a real brain burner in itself.

The opening commentary concerning the 2 ruling families suggest; although I think only superficially, the story of the Montague and Capulet families aka Romeo and Juliet, but I think the is misleading, if not outright incorrect in context of the overall storyline.

This implied reference, for the most part, is devoid of any romantic cliche that embodies the Romeo/Juliet story and seems only to be pertinent to the elders of the 2 families and other minor inhabitants of the mysterious city of Cardo.

The focus of the plot concerns the plight of the daughter of one of the prominent families who has recently returned from NYC.
She is maligned by vicious rumors of infidelity and licentious behavior, none of which have any foundation.
We observe that the gossip mongers are either blind to their own plight or jealous in recognition of the young woman's recent achievements , which in turn, suggests that she possesses the potential to move on yet again.

The woman is befriended by the local gay male couturier who is himself a belittled resident of the community.
His name is Hermes, and true to the legendary attributes of the Greek god, after whom he is named, provides the young woman with a degree of insight as to how she should best proceed as she ponders whether to stay or move beyond the confines of Cardo.

She is emblematic of the wandering soul, of whom the god Hermes is said to be their guide and protector.
Although they speak of leaving Cardo together, he reveals in the same breath that he voluntarily chose to live in Cardo.

Then there is the matter of inflicted control, retribution and conflict, hence another reference to the Oresteia Trilogy and the three fates.
To make matters only more complicated, we watch the designer creating a magnificent gown for a New Years Eve. celebration which he gifts to the young woman. It is endowed with positive transformative powers, which alludes to the story of Medea in which she (Medea) commits heinous acts of revenge; amongst them, gifting a cursed/poisoned wedding gown to Jason's new bride.

In traditional Greco/roman fashion, the viewer observes a suggested blood sacrifice to the Gods for their blessings, which we see in the end is granted. Taking all this into account, we observe that the blessed gown is merely symbolic of the young woman's self determination to escape the insidious confines of her birth place and denies acceptance of the bonds woven by the three fates.

In the final scene, we observe that Hermes is bound to the threads of fate since he previously admitted that he freely chose of his own will to live in Cardos. The young woman is seen moving towards a brightly lit door and moves forward to a self determined destiny of her own choosing and leaves the bound and struggling inhabitants of Cardo; some of whom themselves are not content with their lot but are either unwilling or unable to break the bonds that bind them to Cardo.
It seems that they are in one sense, unable to traverse and transcend the circles of Dante's purgatory.

My God, I feel like I'm back in school and I don't know what grade I'm getting. That's how this film affects the viewer; me at least.

I just gave more thought to the title that refers to "Beast" of Cardo. Who or what is the "beast" element that is alluded to?
It occurs to me that the beast reference is a metaphor for the darkness; that is already spoken of in the film's opening commentary, the darkness of self imposed obscurity and entrapment by the residents of Cardo.

The patriarch of the young woman's family is prone to angry outbursts of rage and frustration, vociferously denigrating the overall character of Cardo, wherein the personae of the "beast" and Cardo have become indistinguishable.

His wife is also aware of their situation but resigns herself to the bonds of the Moirai and indulges herself in a voracious indulgence of social activities, playing out a tragically delusional role as "hostess with the mostess", perpetuating a senseless feud with the rival families of Cardo, creating an infinite loop of stalemate chessboard moves fueled by their petty rivalries.

Cardo also refers to the traditional Greco/Roman designation for a street with a North/South orientation, however in context of the films multiple insights, the name itself implies a contemporary designation; that of a compass which leads the modern traveller to a destination in any of the four directions leading north/south and east/west.

I loved this movie because of the actress ANGELICA ARAGON who is one of the best actors in Hispanoamerica!!!

A little slow. Some good shots.

Deep thoughts take you to an utopia world. Like it

not worth a dime, just a sad movie,