Viridiana

Viridiana, a young novice preparing to take her vows, is sent by her convent to visit Don Jaime, the elderly uncle who has funded her education. The two have met only once, and he is struck by her resemblance to his wife, who died on their wedding day. His fixation on his niece upends her plans and sets in motion a crisis of guilt, inheritance and charity. She gives up the convent, returns to her uncle's estate and turns it into a refuge for the village's poor, a decision that leads the household toward open conflict. Luis Buñuel directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Julio Alejandro; the film was produced by Gustavo Alatriste and Pere Portabella and shot in Spain and Mexico. Silvia Pinal plays Viridiana, with Fernando Rey as Don Jaime, Francisco Rabal as Jorge, and Margarita Lozano, José Calvo and Victoria Zinny in supporting roles.

Released in 1962, Viridiana was the ninth of the fifteen features Buñuel directed, arriving between The Exterminating Angel and Diary of a Chambermaid. Its standing is high across the board. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 28,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.7 from 568, a gap that reflects the larger, more international sample behind the first figure. A critics' rating of 9.1 from 32 reviews places it above both audience scores, showing that reviewers rate it even more strongly than the general public does.