Cría cuervos. Carlos Saura, 1976.
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Edition screened: BFI Blu-ray, released 2913. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 110 minutes.
Summary: A pet guinea pig dies.
Details: We see the adorable pet guinea pig several times in the film. He is loved and well cared for. One day Ana goes to her room and finds him in bad shape. She gently picks him up, tells him that she will take care of him, and lays him on a pillow. The camera focuses on the girl’s face as she whispers “You’re dead.” The discovery and off-camera ‘death’ occur 1:25:20-1:26:20, followed by a serious, modest, and appropriate funeral as only a little girl would design.
I annotate this scene on principle, but there is NO reason to skip this brief and non-violent acknowledgement of beloved pet’s death. Cría cuervos is a truly superb film, distinguished by an excellent script, one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen, and time shifts within scenes that are handled with unequalled fluidity and directorial good judgement.