Paulina García Stars in 'Love Is the Monster,' a Dystopian Thriller Headed to TIFF 2026

The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively premiered the trailer and poster for Love Is the Monster (Amor es el Monstruo), a dystopian thriller from Costa Rican writer-director Neto Villalobos Brenes that will world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September (The Hollywood Reporter).

The film stars Chilean actress Paulina García, who won the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in Gloria. In Love Is the Monster, García plays a grandmother working to rebuild trust with her six-year-old granddaughter after her own daughter cuts off contact — until the girl is kidnapped for ransom. The cast also includes Natalia Regidor, Gloriana Vargas and Ericka Reikendorf. Villalobos Brenes co-wrote the screenplay with Diego van der Laat.

TIFF's official film page lists the production as a 95-minute, Spanish-language feature — a co-production spanning Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Chile and Mexico (TIFF). TIFF's event listings show screenings on 14 and 15 September.

This is a familiar festival for Villalobos Brenes. His two previous features also debuted at Toronto, making Love Is the Monster his third consecutive trip to the festival. But the new film marks a sharp turn in tone. Villalobos Brenes told The Hollywood Reporter that the loss of his mother inspired a shift from comedy toward something darker and genre-infused, sparked by a single question: how far would you go to protect someone you love.

The production filmed in Costa Rica's South Pacific region, with cinematography by Nicolás Wong Díaz and editing by Yibrán Asuad and Villalobos Brenes himself. Bendita Film Sales is handling world sales — meaning the company represents the film to international distributors looking to buy territory rights. BTA Films' project page describes the story as set in a dystopian world defined by inequality and everyday violence, where a grandmother is determined to make the most of the time she has left (BTA Films).

Bendita Film Sales first announced the title via its official Instagram account on 5 August 2026. GAT PR is handling publicity for the world premiere.

For García, the role adds another international credit to a career that crossed borders long before Gloria put her on festival juries' radar in 2013. For Villalobos Brenes, it is a return to a festival that has now launched every feature he has made — this time with his darkest premise yet.

TIFF's Centrepiece strand, where the film screens, sits between the gala premieres and the avant-garde Discovery section — a programming slot for established directors with new work that carries buzz into the autumn market. Buyers, sales agents and festival programmers watch the Centrepiece slate closely; it is where deal-making often begins for films without a distributor locked in advance.

Love Is the Monster premieres 15 September in Toronto.