Cría cuervos

The career of the Spanish director Carlos Saura (1932–2023) spanned more than half a century, during which he created many masterpieces. It is no surprise that, alongside Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is regarded as one of the finest figures Spanish cinema has to offer. The allegorical coming-of-age drama Cría cuervos, a story set in Spain under the dictator Franco, is now regarded as the high point of that long career.

Eight-year-old Ana (Ana Torrent) sees an unknown woman coming out of her parents’ bedroom. When she goes to investigate, she finds her father dead in bed, apparently having died of a heart attack. Moments later, she is told off by her mother Maria (Geraldine Chaplin) for being up so late. An illusion, for her mother has already passed away. Ana can barely comprehend what is happening, causing fantasy and reality to become increasingly blurred. Gradually, she becomes convinced that the baking powder she has kept for some time is a mysterious poison that killed her father.