Post by kaliszewski on Feb 3, 2008 11:40:36 GMT -5
Not exactly sci-fi, not exactly horror, either. Chalk it up as a fairytale: much more low-key than Pan's Labyrinth but every bit as moving.
Went to it grudgingly yesterday 'cause we're moving into the February doldrums, movie-wise. The Midwestern world is dirty, cold, and gray, and serious filmmakers are saying, "If I release my little darling now, no one will remember it for the Oscars next year." And the popcorn flicks of summer are but twinkles in their distributors' eyes. The pickings are pretty slim right now.
Not to give too much away, but Guillermo del Toro seems to have as a recurring theme in his films a quest for personal strength in the face of extreme and frightening circumstances. In Pan's Labyrinth, Ofelia draws on her courage and cleverness to protect her mother and her baby brother; here, a mother has to protect her little boy.
It's poetic and devastating. Del Toro plays it straight, too: this is a very old-fashioned gothic chiller. He achieves atmosphere solely through sound effects and textured, dark cinematography. With the exception of two makeup effects, I don't think there's a special effects shot in the whole thing.
As Laura, who's returned with her husband and their son to the house by the sea where she lived as an orphan, Belen Rueda is a revelation. She's intelligent, clever, thoughtful, tall, and strong-- all the more beautiful, too, because she shows a bit of mileage. (This won't make sense to everyone, but I think I've found a more modern visual reference for Whitby. )
Anyway, I'm very glad I saw this. I'm usually not much of one for eerie movies-- I live alone, see, and after I watch movies like this I usually spend the next week or so imagining creepy sounds in my own house-- but this was a gem. Very touching. Check it out.
Went to it grudgingly yesterday 'cause we're moving into the February doldrums, movie-wise. The Midwestern world is dirty, cold, and gray, and serious filmmakers are saying, "If I release my little darling now, no one will remember it for the Oscars next year." And the popcorn flicks of summer are but twinkles in their distributors' eyes. The pickings are pretty slim right now.
Not to give too much away, but Guillermo del Toro seems to have as a recurring theme in his films a quest for personal strength in the face of extreme and frightening circumstances. In Pan's Labyrinth, Ofelia draws on her courage and cleverness to protect her mother and her baby brother; here, a mother has to protect her little boy.
It's poetic and devastating. Del Toro plays it straight, too: this is a very old-fashioned gothic chiller. He achieves atmosphere solely through sound effects and textured, dark cinematography. With the exception of two makeup effects, I don't think there's a special effects shot in the whole thing.
As Laura, who's returned with her husband and their son to the house by the sea where she lived as an orphan, Belen Rueda is a revelation. She's intelligent, clever, thoughtful, tall, and strong-- all the more beautiful, too, because she shows a bit of mileage. (This won't make sense to everyone, but I think I've found a more modern visual reference for Whitby. )
Anyway, I'm very glad I saw this. I'm usually not much of one for eerie movies-- I live alone, see, and after I watch movies like this I usually spend the next week or so imagining creepy sounds in my own house-- but this was a gem. Very touching. Check it out.