Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Jackson Booth-Millard This Spanish film was listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, in the popular book, the title, including English translation, did not suggest anything particular to me, but I was prepared to give it a chance. Basically eight-year-old girl Ana (Ana Torrent) is growing up in a troubled household, her father Anselmo (Hector Alterio) is a Spanish military general battling through the Franco regime, and Ana witnesses the final agonising moments for her mother María (Geraldine Chaplin) before her death. Looking after Ana, her older sister Irene (Conchita Perez) and younger sister Juana (Maite Sanchez) is emotionally chilly Aunt Paulina (Monica Randall), the little warmth left in the household is provided by housekeeper Rosa (Florinda Chico). Ana's mother María may be dead, but the girl frequently sees and hears her mother's spirit, she becomes melancholic and fascinated by death, to the point where she becomes convinced that the emotional neglect and infidelity of her father Anselmo is responsible for María's death, in fact she died from cancer. This leads young Ana to take her own form revenge against her father, using a mysterious powder to poison him, this powder turns out to be baking powder, Ana as an adult (Geraldine Chaplin) explains that she believed the father created the sadness that lead to her mother's illness, she planned to poison the aunt also, she she and her sisters left the compound to enter the vibrant and noisy city. Also starring Germán Cobos as Nicolás Garontes and Josefina Díaz as Abuela - The Grandmother. The title Cria Cuervos is taken from a Spanish proverb "Raise ravens and they'll pluck out your eyes", when you think about this it suits the concept of the film well, I admit it was quiet most of the time, but at the same it is silently creepy and even menacing at times, even just seeing the leading little girl staring, a good mix of childhood innocence and terror, it is an interesting drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Worth watching!

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.

MartinHafer I see that this film has an IMDb score of 8.0 and is one of the much respected released from The Criterion Collection--so I assumed it must have been a really worthwhile film. However, after seeing it, I felt strangely ambivalent and have no idea what others see in this strange and unsatisfying movie.The film begins with a father dying while in the act with the wife of one of his friends. However, his middle child, Ana, thinks she killed him--after all, she gave him poison! Throughout the film, this melancholy and rather psychotic kid behaves strangely--like she could use about a dozen years in therapy. Some of this is because she's grieving her mother's death (she died a few years before the father) and part of it is that she's just freaking weird. For example, when Grandma complains that she doesn't enjoy life any more, the child suggests that she give her poison!! And, to test it out, Ana poisons her guinea pig. Later, when she's angry and displaces the anger on her Aunt, Ana then tries to poison her but it has no effect at all. And, soon after, the movie ends.The acting is pretty good and I know it's not easy to get natural performances out of kids. I can respect that. As for the plot, however, it left me really, really cold and confused. What was enjoyable or insightful about this film?! It just seemed weird and a bit stupid.By the way, why were there always chicken feet in fridge? Was there some symbolism about this in Spain (where the film was made)? Did I miss something?

zetes A perfect sister film to one of my absolute favorites, Spirit of the Beehive. It also stars Ana Torrent and has similar themes. And I like it probably as much. Torrent, three years older but looking pretty much the same, plays the middle child of three girls. At the beginning of the film, their father has just died. Their mother (played by Geraldine Chaplin) died a while back. The film is told through the mind of Ana, who is still mourning her mother, and she often sees her. It can be confusing at the beginning. Chaplin also appears as the adult Ana, who narrates some of her thoughts, or possibly as what Ana believes she will become. This is very ambiguous. The girls' aunt Paulina is now taking care of them. The duty was kind of forced upon her and, while she's trying her hardest, it's taking its toll. She's stern and not well liked by the girls, especially Ana. There isn't much plot, per se, and what little there is shouldn't be ruined. We often see Ana's imagination and memories come to life. We see her witness fights between her parents. Later on, she reenacts them with her sisters. The film is about what children observe, how they interpret it and how they act on those interpretations. The film also has political ramifications, subtle ones that are pretty difficult to grasp. The title is the beginning of a Spanish proverb that goes: "Raise ravens, and they'll tear out your eyes." Like Spirit of the Beehive, the film depicts a child experimenting with her own cruelty and violence. Supposedly this is all a criticism of the Fascist government (Franco had just died by this point, so his regime was just on its way out). It's a very dense and fascinating movie. You'd probably still be swimming through its mysteries on a hundredth viewing. If you thought possibly that Ana Torrent was not acting in Spirit of the Beehive, this will set you straight. Her blank, soulful expression is here in full force, of course, but here you see the slightest smile creep across her face, and you can just tell exactly what she's thinking. I'm afraid I've done an awful job reviewing Cría Cuervos. I haven't expressed how touching it is when dealing with Ana's loneliness (there's a scene where she dreams that her mother pops into her bedroom to tell her a story that's just heartbreaking), or how it often straddles dark comedy, like the scenes between Ana and the maid. I think that difficulty in reviewing it shows just how layered and confounding the film is. It shoots right up my favorites list. It's easily the best film I've seen all year. Bravo to Criterion for bringing this one to DVD. Hope they also get to Saura's La Caza sometime in the future.