A woman about to take her vows is advised by the monastery that her uncle is very ill and has sent for her at his place in the country. It soon becomes obvious that he is attracted to her because she so resembles his dead wife. He drugs her with the intention of committing rape but cannot go through with it and later commits suicide. That's how the ingredients for a rather somber tale--anti-Christian in its beliefs--unfolds, rather artfully but pretentious in style.
The tale itself becomes more and more convoluted as events beyond the woman's control send her life spinning in a downward spiral after her uncle's death. Her biggest mistake appears to be her decision not to return to the monastery but to stay on at the farmhouse and devote herself to helping the poor.
The B&W photography is fittingly sensuous and romantic in style, the choral background is effective, and the Spanish cast does an excellent job.
Motives (religious no doubt) seem obscured by a tale that becomes more and more difficult to accept as a parable of man's repentance and sinful nature. "You must think I'm mad," the uncle tells the young woman at one point, before he makes clear his intention to marry her. And from that point on, the film delves deeper and deeper into the darker aspects of the strange story, which many found unsettling and caused controversy because of the religious implications.
Unusual and thought-provoking, but with decidedly limited appeal.
The tale itself becomes more and more convoluted as events beyond the woman's control send her life spinning in a downward spiral after her uncle's death. Her biggest mistake appears to be her decision not to return to the monastery but to stay on at the farmhouse and devote herself to helping the poor.
The B&W photography is fittingly sensuous and romantic in style, the choral background is effective, and the Spanish cast does an excellent job.
Motives (religious no doubt) seem obscured by a tale that becomes more and more difficult to accept as a parable of man's repentance and sinful nature. "You must think I'm mad," the uncle tells the young woman at one point, before he makes clear his intention to marry her. And from that point on, the film delves deeper and deeper into the darker aspects of the strange story, which many found unsettling and caused controversy because of the religious implications.
Unusual and thought-provoking, but with decidedly limited appeal.