Akelarre

In a well-acted historical drama about clashes between opposite ends of the economic and cultural spectrum, a literal witch hunt in a Basque village sets orthodox religion against pagan beliefs, feudal lords against the impoverished peasantry, abusive men against defenseless women, and in some ways, Spaniards against Basques. The witches are female and from the lower classes, the persecutors are wealthy white Christians. The story revolves around Garazi (Silvia Munt) whose grandmother is burned at the stake when convicted by the Spanish inquisitor of being a witch, something that brings Garazi under suspicion and eventually into prison. She is tortured in prison and raped by her rejected suitor, the vicious son of a local landlord. While Garazi is suffering her own pain, a struggle on a much broader scale is in the offing.