Viridiana (1961)

Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana was a controversial, irreverent vision of a group of beggars exploiting a vacant manor owned by a virtuous, novice nun. Viridiana leaves her Catholic convent in order to visit with her remaining family member, her forlorn, fervent uncle played by Fernando Rey. After a failed seduction, drugging and rape, the dejected uncle hangs himself with his adopted maid’s daughter’s jump rope and the estate is inherited by a contemplative Viridiana. In fear of losing her Catholic values, Viridiana cares for beggars in an effort to change the world around her despite her callous brother. "You can't save everyone," he tells her after purchasing an abused dog from an oblivious owner which is proceeded by another equally abused dog. An instinct to do good is inevitable vain and calamity certainly overwhelms. In one notorious scene, the rampant beggars indulge in a feast accompanied by Handel's "Messiah" and reenact Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” After destroying the dining hall, the beggars attempt to rape the hospitable Viridiana and, ultimately, a wager is needed to remedy the situation. Long-exiled Buñuel creates a sly ‘fuck you’ to his native Spanish government and the Catholic Church. Although banned in Spain, Viridiana gained worldly recognition and went on to win the prestigious Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Viridiana is not so much an attack on religion as an institution, but, rather, an indirect attack on its futile functionality in connecting repugnant souls.

10 - steven