She dances with her dead husband every night. Her new lover? Just has to deal with it.
In a Gypsy village, the fathers of Candela and José promise their children to each other. Years later, the unfaithful José marries Candela but while defending his lover Lucía in a brawl, he is stabbed to death. Carmelo, who secretly loves Candela since he was a boy, is arrested while helping José and unfairly sent to prison. Four years later he is released and declares his love for Candela. However, the woman is cursed by a bewitched love and every night she goes to the place where José died to dance with his ghost.
Direction
Saura's camera worships the dancers like they're summoning actual spirits.
Cinematography
Those fire-lit ghost dances? Pure visual witchcraft.
Acting
Hoyos doesn't perform flamenco—she exorcises through it.
Director
Carlos Saura
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Saura adapted this from a 1915 ballet by Manuel de Falla, but stripped the original's happy ending because apparently he hates joy.
Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos were real-life partners, which adds uncomfortable authenticity to scenes where she dances with another man's ghost in front of him.
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