Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

HeadlinesExotic Boring

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

MARIO GAUCI Like Saura's recently-viewed THE HUNT (1966), this is considered among the greatest Spanish films ever – and deservedly so. Incidentally, it also assumes a child's viewpoint throughout – an aspect shared with yet another movie that ranks very highly on such national polls, i.e. THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (1973). Featured in the central role (the second youngest of three girls involved) is the same talented performer – Ana Torrent – as the protagonist of the latter masterpiece by Victor Erice.As with Saura's own COUSIN ANGELICA (1974; which I have also just watched), then, this adopts fantasy elements – Torrent is constantly seeing her deceased parents around the house and, at one point, even 'witnesses' herself committing suicide by jumping off a rooftop! – and interchangeable actors – the writer/director's then-current partner, Geraldine Chaplin, plays both the sickly mother and Torrent's character as an older woman – to tell a similar tale of a marriage break-up (actually two) and the resulting illicit affairs – which Torrent always somehow manages to be the sole witness to – but, thankfully, without resorting to the heavy-handed political/religious allusions which marred the earlier film. A supposedly discarded bottle of rat poison also provides black comedy touches throughout as Torrent is forever scheming to use it on herself, her grandmother or her aunt…but whether she actually ever does is left open-ended! Another strong point here is the soundtrack, making repeated use of a melancholy piano tune and an equally haunting pop song. The meaning behind the film's title is anybody's guess – unless the mentioned bird's reputation for ill omen is being equated to the kids' difficult relationship with their extended family: they have been placed in the care of their attractive yet unmarried aunt in a household that also includes their mute, wheelchair-bound grandmother and an earthy middle-aged maid.

Howard Schumann Ana (Ana Torrent), a sad-eyed little girl of about eight years old, unable to sleep, overhears a conversation as she walks down the stairs to get a glass of water. The voices, coming from her father Anslemo's (Hector Alterio), room, are exchanging expressions of mutual love. Ana hears the gasp of a man's voice crying that he is suffocating and then silence. A woman that she recognizes as Amelia (Mirta Miller), the wife of army officer Nicolás (Germán Cobos), her father's best friend, hurriedly leaves the room and heads for the front door, her blouse still unbuttoned. When the girl goes into her father's room, he is dead. She calmly takes the almost-emptied glass of milk next to his bed and washes it in the sink, then carefully puts it back on the kitchen rack.It's title derived from the Spanish proverb "Raise ravens and they'll take your eyes," Carlo's Saura's haunting Cria Cuervos is a masterful insight into the mind of a little girl traumatized by the death of both of her parents. We see events from Ana's perspective and its fragmented view of an imaginative but angry and resentful child is a mixture of fantasy and reality that is often hard to separate. The film is also seen by some as an allegory for the mindset of the dying days of the Franco dictatorship. Whether it is viewed as a political statement or not, Cria Cuervos' evocation of the painful memories of a child whose grasp on reality is fading is masterful and deeply moving, especially given Ana Torrent's heartfelt and authentic performance.Ana is one of three sisters. The older one is Irene (Conchita Pérez) and the younger one is Maite (Maite Sanchez). The little girl has visions of her mother talking to her, giving her advice about staying up too late, and reading stories to her in bed. Ana deeply longs for her mother (Geraldine Chaplin) who died of a painful illness before her father passed away. In voice-over we hear the adult Ana (also played somewhat confusingly by Geraldine Chaplin) recalling her memories from childhood and she has little good to say about them, saying that she remembers it being "interminably long and sad, full of fear." The children are now under the care and protection of their Aunt Paulina (Mónica Randall), who lacks warmth and affinity, and some have compared her haughty nature to the authoritarianism of the Franco government.As a result, the children are much closer to Rosa, the family maid, who talks to them about family secrets even though much of what she says goes over their head. Also living with them in their country estate is the girls' grandmother, disabled and unable to speak who loves to look at family pictures on the wall, trying to recapture her fading memories of the past. The girls play at being adults. Irene puts on her aunt's bra and does her lashes. Pretending to be her father, Irene draws a moustache on her face while Maite wears high heels. Ana puts on lipstick as they act out their version of memories recalled from the many arguments they heard between their unfaithful father and their depressed and anxious mother.The motif of death runs throughout the film. Ana believes she poisoned her father and fantasizes about also killing her aunt. She even mixes some baking soda in her aunt's milk, thinking it is poison. In one sequence, Ana looks down a busy Madrid street from her roof and pictures herself jumping to her death. The children also play hide-and-seek in which the one whose hiding place is discovered has to pretend to die and remain "dead" until Ana offers a prayer to her guardian angel to "revive my sisters." Although we are somewhat buoyed by the scene of the end of the summer with the girls going back to school, we are left to wonder whether the family's cynicism and negativity will carry over into the children's adult life. The adult Ana's voice-over, heard without any context, is not promising.

Braddigan There is nothing much more sad than a pretty porcelain child with a broken heart. This movie delivers this cry-fest phenomenon splendidly. Emotional wrenching is one reason why we watch movies. This film will wrench you far and wide. There is a lot more to this movie than emotional and emotive story-telling. There is social commentary; an astute condemnation of the Franco regime and the patriarchal, hypocritical, repressive social system that he imposed. Filmed when cranky Franky was on the death-bed and released immediately after he succumbed, this film is an enlightening indictment, and a reminder. It portrays the old, the repressive, and the new, and the differences between them. The film is also just a brilliant piece of artwork. It is slowly-paced, revealing its prizes and drama in a slow, sad build-up. It is over-all, subtle, something which should be highly prized. Franco and the evils of fascism and patriarchy are not standing around in masks, shouting out slogans. No, they are not in your face. They are covertly placed and symbolically represented. Ignore them, if you want, but recognizing them enriches the experience of the film. Of course, simply enjoying the film simply for its aesthetic and narrative beauty is very much sufficient. The acting is phenomenal. Child-actors are problematic things, but Saura and crew managed to extract astounding, pure, talented acting out of the young girls, as well as the other actors. The protagonist, of course, stole the show. Doleful beauty is the most deeply affecting thing there is.

Daniel Hayes This film is such a splendid experience that it's difficult to really describe objectively why. The plot, the characters are revealed at a perfect tempo, keeping the audience engrossed and anticipating what's next. Any film with such sparse dialogue needs to make the rare lines worthwhile, and Saura certainly does, probably learning from Erice, the master of indispensable dialogue. Ana Torrent invites all sorts of Erice comparisons, but I see Saura taking a step beyond him here visually."Beehive" was a landmark film, and unlike anything that had been made. But the camera maintained the same distance and the story was fundamentally allegorical. Saura experiments with distance, sometimes following the characters closely, sometimes giving an omniscient birds eye view of the area. Sometimes remaining a mere witness to what's happening. It's very carefully calculated to best enhance the scene and keep these extraordinary events within the realm of possibility.If there's such a film as a director's film, this is it. Although it is certainly worthwhile for the performances as well.5 out of 5 - Essential