The strain of "magic realism" which seemingly has come to dominate so much of contemporary Latin American art has deep roots within peninsular Spanish culture; in the cinema, it can most frequently be seen in that remarkable group of films-such as Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive-which chart the passage from childhood to adolescence. Shot in black and white in the vast, rolling hills in Segovia, Berta's Motives first presents the "raw materials" from which young Berta will construct a world: an abandoned car, a mysterious house, a woman in white, the arrival of a film crew. Then slowly, the film begins to tease out the narrative possibilities and connections between each, creating finally an atmosphere of dark mystery that contrasts brusquely with the silence of the countryside. The images are beautifully photographed by Geraldo Gormezano, perhaps the newest in a long line of talented Spanish cinematographers, and José Luis Guerín's sure control of each element gives the film a brooding, provocative rhythm. Richard Peña