El Espíritu de la colmena

Set in rural Spain in 1940, Victor Erice's (El Sur, Dream of Light) extraordinary debut film is a haunting portrait of the isolation of an introverted child within her own family. Ana Torrent is absolutely unforgettable as the lonely little girl who sees Boris Karloff's Frankenstein, and is convinced that the monster actually exists. Encouraged by her sister, she sets off into the woods to find him and becomes immersed in a mysterious and poetic imaginary world. A poignant exploration of the fragile innocence of childhood, The Spirit of the Beehive is Spanish cinema at its very best.