Valentina is a film that touches the heart without degenerating into a sappy melodrama. It follows a free-spirited rascal growing up in Spain who falls in love with Valentina, a daughter in a family that's friends with his. The actors who portray these two children do an excellent job, as does Anthony Quinn as the priest who is seemingly the only adult who can communicate with the young boy. Betancor does an excellent job in capturing the innocence of youth and the purity of childhood infatuations. The only problem I have with it is that it ends very abruptly when a more suitable ending would have made this a perfect film. Despite the abrupt ending, this is one of the best films I've watched and I highly recommend it to everybody.
