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{es} Surcos / {en} Furrows (Spain, 1951), directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde.

The plot follows the struggles of a Spanish family as it emigrates from the countryside to Madrid circa 1950. Facing difficulties in finding housing and employment, several family members turn to illegal or immoral activities in order to make ends meet, and the traditional family structure disintegrates.

Embracing the aesthetics and principles of Italian neorealism (capturing life for the working class, on the streets or in the countryside, with little technical finessing and often employing a non-professional cast), acclaimed filmmaker José Antonio Nieves Conde presents a portrait of a family who up stakes from the countryside and move to the city in the hope of a better life. Instead, they find hardship and heartache. The film dealt with social issues that were mostly absent from Spanish cinema in the era of General Franco’s fascist government. Furrows was apparently passed for release because the chief censor saw the film’s artistic merit as more important than the message being relayed.

<Best Spanish films>