This charming, sensitive and often times hilarious comedy of manners is one of the best movies I've seen in years. It's long (147 minutes) and engrossing with many subplots and twists. A foreign film from Spain, it has no actors which will be readily recognizable to the American audience, and that alone builds interest and suspense, because we never really know who is going to what to whom and how it is all going to turn out.This is a rather talky film and takes patience to read the subtitles but it's well worth it. Beautifully shot in the Spanish countryside. Not to be missed by the discerning film enthusiast. 10 out of 10. Don't miss it.

I agree with most of the favorable comments made about this movie. The story, the characters, the scenery were all must right. If the story seems a bit formal and slow moving, I think that's just Spanish style for a story of this type. The dialogue was quite good. The movie is in Spanish with English subtitles, but what I thought was odd, was the apparent use of dubbed voices for several of the characters. The two most obvious were the women's voices dubbed in for the two grand-daughters. But the lip movements of several characters made it clear they were not speaking Spanish. There's no doubt Fernando Gomez and Cayetana Guillen and some of the others were speaking Spanish, but I wonder what language the rest were really speaking before Spanish was dubbed in?

Or does one have to? The matter is posed to an old man (El Abuelo aka the Grandfather) returning penniless from intrigues abroad to the village where he was once a respected aristocrat. In search of the truth about his two beautiful granddaughters, the sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet old man is met with insincerity and chicanery.Some may view the film as plodding and uneventful. However, those with an understanding of the importance family honor to an old world aristocrat or the meaning of love to a disenfranchised old man will likely be captivated by its subtle charms. The old Spanish architecture, pastoral beauty, and sumptuous cinematography should appeal to all.

Wonderful, lovely, warm, rich story of an impoverished, very old, Spanish aristocrat (El Abuelo - the grandfather) whose son is dead, and whose daughter-in-law has two daughters. One of these granddaughters is the son of El Abuelo, and one is the product of an affair - which has highly affronted the old man's honor. And he wants to find out which is which. Ultimately, he discovers he loves them both, and with a little help from another wonderful character, decides that love is more important than honor. Absolutely terrific. Leisurely pace, good cinematography complement story line and excellent performances. (In Spanish with subtitles).****