It was director Iris' debut, and it was a very resonant work in the '70s. This is an excellent work that depicts children's psychology in a particularly delicate way. It is full of poetic scenes that blend fantasy and reality. It belongs to a children's movie with a terrifying psychology, and exposes some metaphors about the Spanish Civil War that the Spanish film industry has always been sensitive to. For example, there are many honeycomb images in the film. It's a masterpiece with a small metaphor for a big, meaning beyond words.
The Spirit of the Beehive evaluation action
2022-06-22 15:09
Extended Reading
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Laurine 2022-06-22 14:16:04
Rewatch. Mysterious and thrilling, the most terrifying moment in the world is the moment when a child realizes death. Fingers touch mushrooms, sparks burst, gunfire and Frankenstein by the water. The honeycomb window frame is the prison of the adult world, confining the innocence that destroys overnight and never can be traced into the honey and wax of time.
The Spirit of the Beehive quotes
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Ana: [unable to sleep] Isabel?
Isabel: [opening her eyes] What?
Ana: [whispering] Tell me what you were going to tell me.
Isabel: [whispering] About what?
Ana: The movie.
Isabel: Not now... Tomorrow.
Ana: Now... You promised. Why did he kill the girl, and why did they kill him after that?... You don't know - you're a liar.
Isabel: They didn't kill him, and he didn't kill the girl.
Ana: How do you know? How do you know they didn't die?
Isabel: Everything in the movies is fake. It's all a trick. Besides, I've seen him alive.
Ana: Where?
Isabel: In a place I know near the village. People can't see him. He only comes out at night.
Ana: Is he a ghost?
Isabel: No, he's a spirit.
Isabel: Like the spirit Dona Lucia talks about?
Isabel: Yes, but spirits have no bodies. That's why you can't kill them.
Ana: But he had one in the movie. He had arms and feet. He had everything.
Isabel: It's a disguise they put on when they go outside...
Ana: If he only comes out at night, how can you talk to him?
Isabel: I told you he was a spirit. If you're his friend, you can talk to him whenever you want. Just close your eyes and call him... It's me, Ana... It's me Ana...
[they hear what sounds like ominous footsteps and are silent]
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Isabel: Papa, have you ever picked a bad mushroom?
Fernando: No. You know why?
Isabel: Why?
Fernando: Because I always do like my grandfather told me.
[he gets up and starts to walk; the girls follow]
Fernando: If you're not sure a mushroom's good, don't pick it. Because if it's bad, and you eat it, it's your last mushroom and your last everything too.