THE STRANGE VOYAGE

A damned film, mistreated by censorship in its time and nearly condemned to secrecy, but nowadays considered as one of the pinnacles of Spanish cinematic history. An extremely dark tragicomedy set in the deep and rural Spain of the 1960s, combining thriller and costumbrist cinema, and showing a notable influence of Spanish culture, from Quevedo to Valle-Inclán, as well as Goya and Buñuel. Directed by the magnificent actor Fernando Fernán-Gómez, who himself does not appear in this film but is nevertheless considered as one of the top European directors of all time.

In a small provincial town, close to the capital, lives a family of three siblings: the dominant and severe Ignacia and the shy and withdrawn Paquita and Venancio. The monotony of village life is only broken on Saturdays when a musical group arrives from Madrid to liven up the weekend with their songs. One stormy Saturday, Paquita and Venancio, who are very fearful, hear noises and go to their sister’s room for protection. There they see someone, but Ignacia flatly denies it.