The Holy Innocents

Director: Mario Camus Cast: Alfredo Landa, Terele Pávez, Belén Ballesteros 1984, 107', Color Spanish with Turkish subtitles

Reflecting the harsh realities of segments of society in 1960s, Franco-era Spain, this slow-moving, drawn-out story is about a struggling, impoverished family who work on the estate of a wealthy aristocrat. Paco is the head of his small family who constantly tries to placate his irascible overlords and also teaches them how to hunt birds. His wife Régula is as subservient as Paco. The family is rounded out by a mute, crippled daughter, a son away at military service, and Azarias, an uncle whose mental stability is in question. These individuals are contrasted with Señor Iván who rules over them with a detached incomprehension that brands the family as not much different than the animals he hunts. The 1984 Cannes Film Festival awarded Alfredo Landa and Francisco Rabal a shared "Best Actor" Award for their roles in this film.