Viridiana (1962)

It's astonishing how fluid mankind's interpretations of the "will of God" can be! "Viridiana" (Silvia Pinal) is a young nun about to make that final commitment to her order when she is required by her Sister Superior to go and visit her benefactor uncle "Jaime" (Fernando Rey). She's ill-equipped for the outside world nor for the affect her beauty will have on those men now around her. Needless to say, ardours are stirred and after a tragedy ensues that does not entirely disappoint her, she realises that a life serving the Lord cannot be undertaken within the confines of a convent anymore. Instead she sets up a hostel for the starving and homeless in her village. Unfortunately, she hadn't factored in the arrival of "Jorge" (Francisco Rabal) - the handsome and charismatic son of her uncle. Pretty soon she is facing a difficult conflict that will test every element of her faith and her humanity. On the face of it, this is just another romanic melodrama, but there is humour here and Luis Buñuel takes great care crafting an environment in which we can see the eponymous character develop from a shy and introspective woman to one far more aware of life's richnesses - for good or ill. It's also quite a poignant assessment of the role of religion in provincial life as well as providing us images of the stark contrast between rich and poor. Rey features sparingly but effectively and the chemistry between Pinal and Rabal is clear but not obvious - these actors are adding a little extra dimension to the development of the story. In 2024 it's comparatively tame, but in 1961 it must have been pretty provocative and is still well worth a watch.