Jornal da Mostra
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Edição:
Renata de Almeida e Leon Cakoff
Guillermo del Toro makes a film from a fairy tale for adults
Ofélia is a little girl whose mother has recently married a captain from the
Fascist forces. Together they move to a region where, in 1944, there are still
guerrillas holding out against the victory of Franco`s troops. Ofélia is given
three trials, three challenges, by an ancient fawn in the forest, so she can
once more, change into a princess. When the film focuses on her, the narrative
is fantastic, as though directed at pre-adolescent spectators still entranced
by Harry Potter`s adventures. But when the film switches over to reality, and
the struggle between the Resistance movement and the troops loyal to Franco
with the ensuing brutality, the film is living terror.
Guillermo del Toro leads us on through an insidious labyrinth between fantasy
and sheer terror, but with frontiers well defined between creatures from the
realms of magic and others, demon-like. Excellent actor Sergi Lopez, in the
role of a fascist colonel, plays one of the most terrifying characters devoid
of artifice, in terms of horror films. What would the competent Mexican film
maker be trying to say to us? Simply that, over the course of the film of nightmares,
challenges and charms, with very competent resources and special effects: the
face of real terror need not be made up. There need be no subterfuge, and no
pyrotechnics.
Some day Ofélia may well change into a princess once more. We are not about to spoil anybody`s anticipation for those who are yet to see the film and follow along with the little girl as she takes on the three challenges. But there is no magic spell that will erase the real brutality the story records and that the cinema brings to mind in cycles. We are led to this crossroads in this intelligent film by Guillermo del Toro, well written and devised by the director himself: the third challenge before the little girl can change into a princess, once more, is the base of one of the greatest nightmares in all our human immorality - infanticide.
From the readers
I subscribe to Jornal da Mostra by e-mail and have lived in Spain now for four
years.
I am very fond of Leon Cakoff`s texts but feel I must add a correction to Jornal
da Mostra n. 411, in reference to the film "Volver", by Pedro Almodóvar, when
the text reads: "The few men in the film, one of which in memory alone, are
either extremes - jerks - or lax individuals. One of these gives up running
a restaurant in a village,..." The text refers to `village` and not to a district
on the outskirts of Madrid - an unfortunate comment. "Vallecas" is not a village,
but a well-known, Bohemian quarter of town. Now, on the other hand, the owner
of the restaurant does, in fact, move to a village, or better, to a small town.
Verônica Lugli
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