*The screening on Friday, January 19 will be introduced by Gareth Wood (UCL).
In a seedy, plague-ridden corner of turn-of-the-century Mexico, a pious priest, Nazarín (Francisco Rabal), takes in mentally ill Beatriz (Marga López) and her prostitute sister, Andara (Rita Macedo). At odds with the other members of his clergy, he decides to go on a religious journey with the two women, but manages to accidentally alienate or ruin almost everyone he meets. As Nazarín attempts to bring goodwill and faith to a decaying society, he's met with scorn, suspicion and persecution.
Gareth Wood is Senior Lecturer in Post-1800 Spanish Literature at University College London. Among other things, he lectures on avant-garde drama in early twentieth-century Spain, including the work of Buñuel’s contemporary, Federico García Lorca. He has also done archival research work on Benito Pérez Galdós, the author of Tristana and Nazarín, particularly in relation to his engagement with the plays of William Shakespeare.