The Holy Innocents

Grounded in realism, THE HOLY INNOCENTS is a socially relevant tale of class struggle in Franco-era Spain. Landa is a devoted laborer who--with his wife (Pavez) and his mute, crippled daughter (Sanchez)--works the land and displays a special talent for tracking birds. Master Diego, a vile, upper-class sportsman, enlists Paco's help on a bird hunt but is less than compassionate when his guide breaks his foot, forcing Paco to continue. It is the relationship between the ruling class and the peasants revealed in this situation that is most indicative of the film's sentiments. The rich degrade the peasants despite their dependence on the peasants' knowledge of nature a...