The Garden of Delights

A disturbing mixture of real events, dreams, daydreams, and staged psychodramas, make this a difficult film to follow, let alone enjoy. It seems that the main character, a factory owner, has been paralyzed in a car crash in which his mistress was also injured, and his family attempts to restore him to health by various types of shock therapy. Their motives may be benign yet they are also interested in information that will give them access to Antonio's wealth. But it's not always clear what is happening to whom, nor whose viewpoint we are seeing, nor even if Antonio is recovering. And none of the characters is particularly pleasant, so you might find yourself losing interest in what happens. On the other hand, my confusion may be due to a cultural distance from Spanish surrealism (although the films of Bunuel are among my very favorites!). If you seek a new experience and are well-rested, give it a try, but there is so much more out there.