Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.
Before
Guillermo del Toro would become a household name working on such franchises as Blade, Hellboy, The Hobbit and
had the opportunity to craft such films as Pan’s
Labyrinth and Crimson Peak he
wrote and directed a smaller but equally affecting ghost story titled The Devil’s Backbone. While this film is
certainly less flashy than any of the aforementioned films (not to mention the
insane blockbuster, Pacific Rim) del
Toro’s flair for fantastic realism and incredible ability to create gorgeously
engulfing worlds are still extremely strong on this compelling early passion
project.
The
story begins with an enigmatic scene splicing between the death of a young boy
and scenes of bombs being dropped. After a gorgeous title sequence the
narrative begins with the main character, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) being
dropped off at an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. It seems that his father
has been killed (though he is unaware of this fact) in the Spanish Civil War
and his tutor is dropping him off in order to fight for the Republican cause.
As Carlos is exploring his surroundings he becomes fascinated with a large bomb
in the middle of the courtyard that had fallen and not exploded on the night of
the opening sequence. Thus begins Carlos' exposure to the eerie aspects of his
new home. Almost immediately after he settles in he finds himself being
followed by “the one who wheezes,” a ghost child haunting the orphanage. While
Carlos deals with the trials and tribulations of his new living situation,
bullies, lovingly stern teachers, and a monster of a groundskeeper, the secrets
and mysteries of the orphanage, both supernatural and human in nature, begin to
unfold.
One
of del Toro’s strengths that shines through in this film is his ability create
a realistic yet beautiful setting in which the supernatural seems almost
normal. The fact that this is a ghost story is almost secondary to the drama
and narrative of Carlos and the boys/adults who inhabit the orphanage. While
the setting is beautifully shot and carefully constructed in a cinematic way,
the fantastic elements seem to fit seamlessly into the more historical and real
world of rural Spain circa 1939.
Another
area where this film shines is the way in which del Toro tells the story from
the perspective of Carlos and the other children. Similarly to Louis Malle’s Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) and Lynne
Ramsay’s Ratcatcher (1999) del Toro
is able to beautifully and honestly capture what it is like to be young during
a specific time and place. For Malle the backdrop was WWII, for Ramsay it was
the Glasgow Dustmen strike, and for del Toro it’s the Spanish Civil War. All
three films beautifully show the ways that children naïvely yet poignantly deal
with intense circumstances. Another thing that all of these films have in
common is the fact that the children who portray the leads are all perfectly
cast and play the characters in a way that feel raw, emotional, yet subtle.
Specifically Fernando Tielve, who plays Carlos, and Inigo Garces, who plays the
complicated bully Jaime, do an amazing job of bringing their character to
relatable and believable life.
On
top of the fact that the film is a beautifully crafted piece about children in
extreme circumstances, it is an extremely creepy and thrilling ghost story and
mystery. A certain eeriness stalks the viewer through the entire film, keeping
you on the edge of your seat, always wondering what hides in the shadows. In
the opening sequence of the film we see Jaime, distraught, as a young boy has
been killed. The details of this scene and the mystery of the ghost boy slowly
come to light as the film plays on, and all of the answers come to light in an
unexpected and intense crescendo.
Simply
put, I would love to turn you onto this film because it is not only one
of the most fantastic and enigmatic ghost stories of our time, but it is also a
poignant portrayal of youth in time of strife. When a film comes around that
transcends genre in order to be not only a good horror film or a good drama or
a great historical fiction, that is the hallmark of a brilliant film. That is
what del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is, a brilliant film. Check
it out, you will not regret it!
-
Edward Hill
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