Anna and the Wolves

Carlos Saura's 1973 film was made in the last years of the Franco period, while censorship was still operating. Ana, young and well travelled, arrives at a country house in rural Spain to look after three girls. There are three brothers in the house, each with a fixation of his own: one religion, one sex, one military order and authority. Their mother is the real power holding the place together. Ana's presence provokes all three and the house turns steadily more threatening. The allegory is plain and was read that way by audiences at the time: the brothers stand for the three institutions running Spain. Saura never states it outright, but the ending leaves no room for doubt. Geraldine Chaplin leads. Who it's for: viewers who like Spanish cinema of the Franco era and political allegory. Who it's not for: anyone who does not want to watch where the threat to the woman goes; the closing is very hard.