Erice confirms his mastery of mood, ambivalence, and the art of evoking the mysteries rather than the sharp lines of character.

The ingredients have all been seen before in Spanish cinema, but the poetry with which they're remixed makes them seem new.

A film of the highest artistry, to kindle the imagination and linger in the memory.

Erice illustrates it as a sober, lyrical, beautiful drama, which finds its north in a refined aesthetic that subtly, it dialogues about a childhood marked by the chiaroscuros of the post-war period. [Full review in Spanish]