It stars Geraldine Chaplin and Ana Torrent and co-stars Mónica Randall, Conchi Perez, Mayte Sanchez, Florinda Chico and Héctor Alterio.

(It is mentioned later that the two men had served in División Azul, volunteering to fight alongside the Nazis in World War II.)

Ana, who is on summer vacation from school, lives in a large, quiet house with her young sisters, Irene and Maite; her grandmother, who is mute and a wheelchair user; Roni, a pet guinea pig; and Rosa, the vivacious family maid and Ana's closest companion.

Ana rebels against her aunt's authoritarianism while routinely reliving memories of life with her mother and imagining her presence.

At breakfast, Irene recounts a dream from the night before: two men kidnapped her and couldn't reach María and Anselmo for ransom, but when they were about to kill her, she woke up.

The sisters leave for school, emerging from their cloistered lives into the vibrant, noisy city, captured in a long tracking shot that contrasts with the tighter framing of the preceding scenes.

She was already well known thanks to her starring role in the film El espíritu de la colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive) (1973) by Víctor Erice, made when she was seven years old.

The phrase "Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos" is said to originate with Don Álvaro de Luna of Castile during a hunting expedition.

The beggar explained that he had raised a raven for three years with affection and great care, but it attacked him one day, leaving him blind.

When asked to elucidate the nature of Ana's suffering, the director replied: "Cría Cuervos is a sad film, yes.

"[4] Cría Cuervos was shot in the summer of 1975, as Spanish leader Francisco Franco lay dying, and premiered in Madrid's Conde Duque Theatre, on January 26, 1976.

[6] The picture made a similar strong showing in foreign markets, including the United States, where it solidified Saura's reputation as Spain's best internationally known director of the 1970s.

[9] The film prominently features the pop song "Porque te vas" by Jeanette, an English-born singer, singing in Spanish, whose accented voice reminds Ana of her mother, as played by Geraldine Chaplin, who speaks Spanish with her English-accented voice.

[10] Cría Cuervos was released on DVD on August 14, 2007 in a two-disc special edition as part of the Criterion Collection.