Review of Cria! (1976) by Christopher P — 23 Jun 2010

This is the spanish film that I wanted the spirit of the beehive to be. and it has ana torrent, the same child actor, in common as well. cria cuervos is a film built around the rejection of the idea that children are innocent. I am, of course, already inclined to believe that, but this film makes a much better case for it than I would. some see the adults in this film as dictators. they are not. they are older people dealing with many of the same frustrations that the children are and with roughly the same success rate. I also reject the idea that this film was in some way a warning to the country of spain for its political woes. the spirit of the beehive was such a movie and it was one of the main reasons I felt it wasnt as powerful as it could have been. large, political stories or partial allegories cheapen the fabric of human interaction in stories like this. thats not to say there arent some tie-ins to political happenings during this period and I think that there are statements being made, but to think this film is "about" anything more than these characters and thir struggles with circumstance and one another is absurd.

Now that im off that soapbox, the film is absolutely excellent. beautifully directed by saura and likely his greatest achievement.