It is after Ana views the film, that she becomes more active at night, running away in order to try and find the mysterious spirit or ghost that Isabel has told her about. As Ana becomes more entranced with the darkness around her, she begins to explore her surroundings by herself. She is later shown to be playing by herself near an abandoned sheepfold, whereupon she later encounters a fugitive. Much like the relationship between the monster in Frankenstein and the little girl, Ana innocently tries to take care of the soldier only to unknowingly contribute to his demise. Ana, wracked with guilt, blames herself for the execution of the fugitive and subsequently runs away. While in the forest, Ana comes upon a stream, and while gazing into her reflection in the water, she imagines that she is the monster and that the monster has materialized both within her and within her world. Not only does she realize that monsters are found within individuals, but also are a part of her environment. After a night of looking for Ana, a search party finds her sleeping behind some ruins and takes her home. It is after she is returned home that her haunting guilt begins to noticeably consume her as she remains in the dark and refuses to talk to anyone in the house, including Isabel with whom she was once very close to. The closing scenes...

Glimpses are shown into Fernando and Teresa's relationship, strained by unknown fears and unfulfilled expectations. The sisters run about, oblivious to their environment, appearing inseparable and reliant on each other. It is not long before Ana breaks away from her dependency on her sister and begins to explore the world for herself, relying on her own thoughts, imagination, and experiences. Though Isabel and Ana both experienced the same war, nuances within each of them drive them apart.
The tension felt post-war in Spain is a recurring theme in Spanish cinema and continues to influence filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro's El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) and El Espinazo del Diablo (the Devil's Backbone). Because many Spaniards were exposed to Franco's dictatorship, which only came to an end in 1975, the repercussions of the dictatorship have affected many people and will continue to be a recurring theme in cinema. As Spanish cinema continues to evolve, audiences are sure to be exposed to high quality cinema that is both artistic and of cultural significance.