carol and the young girl at the center of the story and be transplant to a foreign land and spain and at the height of the civil war conflict in the late 30 . for this girl and everything be new and in it foreignness . the war and her father be her constant worry and while she have to immerse herself in a provincial culture that be year behind what she have in new york . imanol uribe directs this film by the number . carol family be obviously divide and while carol mother be marry to someone that be an air force pilot with the leftist faction and the rest of the family sympathy be with the franco and the fascist that win the conflict . the story add nothing to what have already be tell and much good and but it an easy film to watch . northern spain magnificent landscape be show . don not expect a lot of action since most of what happen revolve around carol and the young boys she befriend . clara lago play carol with sincerity and innocence . maria barranco be carol mother aurora and the one that go away to america . rosa maria sarda be maruja and the teacher who befriend carol . carmelo gomez and play alfonso and the man that aurora leave behind when she leave for america . this actor and who usually have lead role in most spanish film and doesn not have anything to do and a he remain an enigma throughout the movie .