Viridiana (Spain, 1961)

Director Luis Buñuel was considered a surrealist. I like to think of his movies, especially his last movies shot in France, not so much as surrealism but as absurd, like Ionesco's theatre of the absurd. It is a combination of mockery, comedy and surrealist scenarios that are sometimes hard to follow. In any case, his controversial topics awarded him the Palme d'or in Cannes with this movie.

In Viridiana, Mexican actress Silvia Pinal plays the role of Viridiana, a nun that goes to visit his uncle. He falls in love with her, tries to seduce her and finally commits suicide. Afterwards, Viridiana tries to create a shelter home for the poor people in her uncle's town. Unfortunately, the poor soon destroy the house of her uncle, prepare a feast for themselves and end up drunk and trying to rape Viridiana. It sounds pretty harsh, and considering this was shot in 1961, just imagine the reaction of the Catholic Church. This movie was banned in Spain for many years. It still remains controversial and original.