Using the loss of the Spanish Civil War against Franco as its allegorical backdrop, Victor Erice’s haunting, lyrical directorial debut portrays the numinous power of cinema to catalyze a young girl’s coming-of-age. In 1940, a tiny rural Castillian village gathers for a screening of Frankenstein. A girl and her sister watch, mesmerized. Such begins the wondrous/perilous quest, as the younger sister—invoking The Holy Fool—is compelled and transformed by unwavering questions about mortality and the realm of the spirits.
Cinematography, sound, and production design brilliantly set a tone of spare, poetic depth, mirroring the melancholy soul loss of the post-war world. In bold contrast, we follow the unshakeable, fearless innocence of a six year old girl (in a transcendant performance) in search of a felt connection to the mysteries beyond. A cinematic triumph of quiet beauty. (1973) In Spanish with English subtitles.
Terry Ebinger, MS, brings two decades of experience as a depth psychological educator and spiritual director to unique programs bridging film studies, archetypal psychology, and myth.
Cinema Numina is a new monthly film discussion series from The Numina Center for Spirituality and the Arts. Please join us as we view exceptional movies through a spiritual and depth psychological lens, framed by insightful commentary and soulful discussion.
Saturday, October 13, 7 PM
Suggested donation: $10.
http://www.numinacenter.org/
- Oct 13, 2012 from 12:00pm to 2:45pm PDT
- Location: The Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa, CA
- Latest Activity: Jun 25, 2021
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