Cria!
A haunted Spanish childhood unfolds inside a repressive household where memory, fantasy, grief, and political fear become inseparable.
Overview
Three sisters navigate the complexities of loss and familial bonds in a haunting tale of resilience.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- eerie
- reflective
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Carlos Saura's psychologically layered childhood drama as a landmark of Spanish cinema, distinguished by its political resonance and extraordinary performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ana's perceptions, fantasies, and family circumstances reflect the lingering authoritarian atmosphere of 1970s Spain.
Austere guardianship, military patriarchy, and the sisters' constrained household make family control inseparable from political unease.
Adult Ana's recollection of childhood is interwoven with the young Ana's fantasies and impressions, blurring memory and imagination.
Ana's fascination with death follows her mother's painful dying and her father's corpse, making mortality central to her childhood imagination.
Films like Cria!, and why
The Spirit of the Beehive
melancholic spanish childhood drama shaped by political allegory, family trauma, and an unforgettable child performance
The Tin Drum
psychological coming-of-age drama using a child's perspective to expose authoritarian family and national anxieties
The White Ribbon
intimate european family drama combining childhood subjectivity, death, repression, and surreal psychological elements
The Devil's Backbone
politically charged art-house drama about children navigating oppressive adult worlds and historical trauma
Movie Details
- Director
- Carlos Saura
- Release Date
- 1976-06-03
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (284)
Cast
- Ana Torrent
- Conchita Pérez
- Mayte Sánchez
- Geraldine Chaplin
- Mónica Randall
- Florinda Chico
- Josefina Díaz
- Germán Cobos
- Héctor Alterio
- Mirta Miller
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel, Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cria! about?
- A haunted Spanish childhood unfolds inside a repressive household where memory, fantasy, grief, and political fear become inseparable.
- What is Cria! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cria! as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Cria! violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Cria! as mild.
- What did critics think of Cria!?
- Critics broadly regard Carlos Saura's psychologically layered childhood drama as a landmark of Spanish cinema, distinguished by its political resonance and extraordinary performances.
- Which films are like Cria!?
- Films with a similar feel include The Spirit of the Beehive, The Tin Drum, The White Ribbon, and The Devil's Backbone.
- How long is Cria!?
- Cria! runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cria!?
- In United States, Cria! streams on Criterion Channel, Darkroom.
