What a discovery. A Spanish variation of Kubrick's classic Lolita, with a magnificent performance by a young actress named Ana Torrent as Goyita, a student in small town Spain who becomes the obsession of an older man, a theme common in both literature and cinema.

El Nido is subtler than the Nabokov adaptation from 1962 with Sue Lyon. Humbert(James Mason) is a despicable creep with no redeeming values, whereas the love-struck subject this time Don Alejandro(Hector Alterio) is eccentric, likable and completely under the spell of Goyita.

Torrent is perfectly cast as a manipulative girl, wise beyond her years, and very convincing as a determined, precocious senorita. There is never a false note; Goyita always feels real.

G(Goyita) posts cryptic notes on to trees for Alejandro to find. The game starts out as a treasure hunt and results in the ensuing relationship between the two. It always remains unpredictable and never becomes judgmental of either protagonist.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of emotion within the story and the great acting. I would rate this film a solid 8.

Sadly, "El Nido" is one of the many beautiful Spanish films that are rarely seen on this side of the ocean. I know, I know: the mere idea of a foreign film is a turn-off for many of us. Me too, for most of my life. But in recent years I've gradually found what a gold mine of quality foreign films can be. Since most of them are made on budgets considerably smaller than typical Hollywood offerings, they depend on story and character as their main emphasis. Location, costume, large casts, special effects, etc. cannot be a factor when budget limitations rule. I find many foreign films use children in their story themes because children provide a wealth of possibilities for story and, particularly, characterization. And some of those films have become classic, though not necessarily well-known over here. "Emma's Shadow" and "Ponette" are good examples of sensitive and beautiful movies featuring children that were made east of the Atlantic. And Spain in particular has contributed some fantastic films in this area. "The Spirit of the Beehive" is among the best such movies ever made anywhere. The star of that movie, Ana Torrent (7-8 years old),has become an icon in Spain, but the typical American response to the name is, "Ana Who?" Ana has grown into an adult now, and in Spain they've had the great fortune of watching her career from child well into mature adult.

The following paragraph contains SPOILERS. In "El Nido," made when she was perhaps twelve or so, Ana plays a thirteen year old student, Goyita, who falls in love with a 60 or so widower. The widower, Don Alejandro (Hector Altero) is spellbound, almost bewitched be her. Her self absorbed, but not evil, adolescent/child character keeps making demands of him to prove his love for her, demands that require him to sacrifice deeper and deeper aspects of himself. Goyita is dealing with pressures and demands in her own life and finds in Alejandro not only someone who loves her without qualification, but a means of survival in her repressive world; in no way is she a "Bad Seed" type. Their idyllic day together is filled with some fantastically touching images. Watching Ana Torrent's subtle responses to Alejandro's words is a priceless experience. She is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses I've ever seen. (SPOILER) In one scene she and her young teacher, Marissa (Patricia Adriani) face off in one of the best woman-to-woman duels in film history.

The story unwraps slowly, gently - it's an idyll to be savored. I highly recommend "El Nido." Unfortunately, it's not easy to find these days on this side of the Atlantic. I've only seen it at used video sites. But it's worth the effort.

A recent new viewing of this film has awakened some old memories, which, fortunately, have not changed so much over the years. Vaguely, half remembered through the mists of time, a film seen year ago showed a middle-aged man arriving home in the rain, getting up the stairs to his rented room, putting a long-playing record on his player, and, picking up a little stick, began conducting the music he had just purchased. Therein I identified myself most ardently; some people - most - dance to music or tap their feet; I do not: I have to get up there like a younger version of Karajan or Beecham and with a little stick in my left hand I keep control over my orchestra - two large loudspeakers usually hidden behind sprays of flowers.

Someone could have given a little musical training to Héctor Alterio for this film so as to lend even more to the well-known Haydn aria; however, the result is acceptable; both he and Agustín González carry out their parts well enough; but both are over-shadowed by the natural expertise of María Luisa Ponte, and the very mature playing of the then twelve-year-old Ana Torrent.

Nicely filmed - with Teo Escamilla things could hardly have been otherwise - in the villages at the feet of the Sierra de Francia, in the province of Salamanca, with a few scenes from the province of Segovia, the story relates the rather charming relationship built up between the young girl and the old widower. This is no Spanish version of `Lolita', nor anything like it, not by a long way. Armiñán's telling of the story is far wiser than to fall into such unsubtle obvieties. The fresh viewing of this film also helped to fill in for me the progress made by Señorita Ana Torrent, as in the last few months I have been able to see some of her most representative rôles, such as in Medem's `Vacas' (qv),Amenábar's Tesis (qv),and Laguna's `Juego de Luna' (qv).

The result is evidently an actress of very varied possibilities as she enacts her different characters with considerable naturalness, ease and intelligence. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in this film `El Nido'.