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The Castle of Purity
The Castle of Purity
8.5
/10
4,390 Ratings

THE CASTLE OF PURITY

El castillo de la pureza

Directed by Arturo Ripstein
Mexico, 1973
Drama

Synopsis

Determined to protect his loved ones from the evils of the world, Gabriel keeps them locked up at home, where his wife Beatriz and their children help run the family business—making rat poison. As they grow older, the kids begin to challenge their father’s version of life beyond the “castle” walls.

Synopsis

Determined to protect his loved ones from the evils of the world, Gabriel keeps them locked up at home, where his wife Beatriz and their children help run the family business—making rat poison. As they grow older, the kids begin to challenge their father’s version of life beyond the “castle” walls.

Our take

Ripstein’s claustrophobic family drama about a controlling father—played by regular Buñuel star Claudio Brook—powerfully dismantles the nuclear family. Redolent of Dogtooth and based on an extraordinary real-life story in 1950s Mexico, this is a sordid tale of control, isolation, and rat poison!