Cria Cuervos

Wednesday, March 25 - Thursday, March 26, 2026

“I watched it for the 1st time when I was 8, the same age as the protagonist in the film. It completely overturned the way I was watching films up to then. It was no longer about the story or the world that was building up under my eyes. It was all about the character and how I deeply related to her. It felt that she understood me as if she were real. It’s the first time I was actually able to project myself into a character’s emotions and that I felt seen.

Strange feeling when, a few years later, I realized that, as a child, I was actually relating to an older man’s (Saura’s) inner world. Art has no boundaries, and I definitely share Saura’s honest, dark and poetic experience of childhood.” -Julia Ducournau

Ana Torrent portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.

Screening as part of Julia Ducournau: Carte Blanche, Ducornau’s latest, ALPHA, opens Friday, March 27.

• Country Spain
• Language Spanish with English subtitles
• Year 1976
• Running Time 107 minutes
• Format 35mm
• Distributor Janus
• Director Carlos Saura
• Cast Ana Torrent, Geraldine Chaplin, Mónica Randall, Héctor Alterio, Florinda Chico

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.