Una obra impecable y poderosa, de fuerza extraordinaria y honestidad admirable. Aproximación oscura y dolorosa al horror de la guerra y el mundo rural que huye de maniqueísmos y deja que la fantasía se filtre por sus poros.

Nice film that touches on several difficult subjects, namely the humiliation (and for some, real hopelessness) of poverty and what one will do to provide for their family. Also the hypocrisy of "ideals", and ultimately, how far should one go to "defend" them? I'll never find myself in a civil war so I will never know.

Some of the story threads, such as the hint of sex abuse by the local school teacher, don’t come to anything, and I’m guessing that they featured more prominently in the original books by Emili Teixidor. Read more at: mostlyfilm.com/2011/10/10/london-spanish-film-festival-2011/

A dark tale of the social impact the Civil War had on the lives of people in a Catalonian village as told through the eyes of a young boy who is trying to make sense of the stories and fables he hears from the adults. Some great performances, particularly from the wide-eyed young lead. The story unravels at a nice pace and while the complexity of the plot lost me a few times, it all came together at the end. Totally cleaned up at both the 2011 Goya Awards and (not surprisingly, the Gaudí Awards).