Cradle Song

Running time: N/A

In today's cinema, this is an unusually moving film because "nothing happens", in a literal way, but in an emotional and philosophical way everything happens. The basic story is that of a cloistered convent of nuns at the end of the last century living out the daily rituals of the religious life until an infant is abandoned at their door. The only outsider who visits is the local doctor, Don Josâ, who decides to adopt the baby if the nuns will raise her. The conversations between the nuns and between the mother superior and the doctor are the substance of the story. The beautiful photography and music create the period atmosphere. This is a beautifully and sensitively made film exploring the depths of love and devotion in what many people would consider a repressive life. The director, Jose Luis Garcia, has made this environment seem fresh and real beyond the societal stereotypes. In particular, the relationship between Mother Theresa (Fiorella Faltoyano) and Don Josâ (Alfredo Landa) is subtle and indirect but nonetheless true and moving. The story is based on a 1911 play by Gregorio Martinez Sierra and shows the durability of fine writing based on unchanging truth and human feeling. This film is an outstanding example of Spanish cinema which too often is considered parochial and mediocre. --Ed Soohoo