After years in Mexican exile, Luis Buñuel returned to his native Spain to make this dark account of corruption, which won a prize at Cannes but was immediately banned in Spain. A young nun, full of charity, kindness and idealistic illusions about humanity, visits her uncle and tries to help some local peasants and beggars. But her altruism is greeted with ridicule and cruelty. Silvia Piñal and Fernando Rey give superb performances as, respectively, the young novice and her lecherous protector, while Buñuel’s clear-eyed wit is relentless in its depiction of human sel?shness, ingratitude and cynicism.