ANA AND THE WOLVES   1973 (Ana y los lobos) Directed by Carlos Saura. 100 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.
This is a strange little Spanish flick that has been rarely seen outside its home country, but many people considered it a cult gem. A young foreign woman called Ana (Geraldine Chaplin) travels to Spain to work as a governess in an isolated countryhouse chateau. Soon, the strict, conservative family that employs her begins to unravel, and Ana descends into a world of surrealism and sinister plots. Entrenched in an increasingly bizarre atmosphere, it's this enigmatic quality that makes the film so strangely creepy.
Ana and the Wolves movie can be watched as a straight story, but it also works as a political allegory of Spanish society under Franco's dictatorship. In fact, its original release was delayed by the censors, who realized -quite correctly- that there was something subversive about the whole damn movie. It stars Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine, and is directed with flare by the great Carlos Saura (Cria Cuervos, Deprisa Deprisa). Another secret gem that is almost totally forgotten. This will be a high-definition screening.