The Spirit of the Beehive

On the Castilian Planes in 1940, a group of children mob the local distribution truck as it delivers the latest film to town: a print of James Whale's "Frankenstein". After the screening, a mesmerized little girl (Ana Torrent), who is also dealing with her emotionally distant parents (Fernando Fernan Gomez and Teresa Gimpera), listens to her sister's (Isabel Telleria) explanations of the movie monster being a spirit, and soon sets off to the nearby mountainside to seek out the beast. "The Spirit of the Beehive" is a sumptuous work detailing a story of childhood longing set in the early day's of Franco's takeover. Victor Erice's film moves at its own pace, features a wonderful performance from young Torrent, and is filmed on one of the most gorgeous color palettes ever presented on the big screen.