I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

As Good As It Gets

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The central ghost has essentially no bearing on the plot and might as well not be in the flick for all the good it does the narrative, but 'The Devil's Backbone (2001)' isn't really about devils, spirits or backbones of any kind. It actually tackles the usual Guillermo Del Toro themes of man being the biggest monster of all and childhood innocence lost too soon, set to the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War which, while not as lavishly recreated as in 'Pan's Labyrinth (2006)', provides a tangible and rich tapestry for this melancholic tale to be set against and introduces some nice allegoric elements, to boot. The flick is a methodical and character-driven tale of the escalating troubles in an orphanage, with the trademark, but ever-so-slightly neutered, 'shocking violence' that the director has come to be known by exploding onto the screen in its latter half to take it in an entirely unexpected direction. It is the atmosphere that really excels, above even the nicely knitted plot, because it is this that allows the rather predictable turns for each character to feel rooted in a real world and have a lasting impact on the audience. 7/10

This is what European cinema is all about. Great movie, great story. Hardly a horror movie. There are some appearances of a child ghost but nothing too scarry. The atmosphere is luxuriant and almost dream like, with surreal elements. The only problem for me was Jacinto who became almost overnight a maniac killer and killed without remorse the children and his girlfriend. There was no building up to this moment. Maybe they should have shown something from his previous life at the orphanage so you could understand what drives him to do it, as the desire for gold was not enough in my opinion, there should have been something more.

'The Devil's Backbone' is a film co-written and directed by the critically acclaimed Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. It is set in Civil War era Spain. The film starts when a young boy named Carlos after losing his father arrives at Santa Lucia School which was being secretively used as a shelter for the orphans of Republican soldiers and politicians. There he comes across new characters like the strict headmistress Carmen, the generous professor Dr. Casares and the hot- headed caretaker Jacinto. He also meets the other orphans, one of whom named Jaime seemed to be a bully. Along with the people, Carlos also starts to sense some supernatural presence in the school.Del Toro is one of those directors whose work can justifiably be called the work of an auteur. Whenever you come across a film made by him, you can clearly see his stamp on it. 'The Devil's Backbone' has all the Del Toro-esque elements that one expects from his films. It has his signature visual flair. The cinematography by Guillermo Navarro and the general look of the film is astonishing. The rich and vibrant colours that ornament almost every scene is impossible to not get bowled over by. Not only the special effects, but also the scenes on location in natural surroundings get enriched by Del Toro's vibrant style and look beautiful. In a way this can be called a precursor to 'Pan's Labyrinth'. Like 'Labyrinth', this film is also at the basic level a fairy tale which doesn't necessarily follow the conventional rules followed by fairy tales in general. There is some graphic violence, there is blood, there are disturbing visuals. But still, the innocence of the young characters in the film shine through.Other than the visual style and the cinematography, another admirable aspect of the film is the ambitious nature of the screenplay. The whole setting of the script is meant to serve as an allegory for the Spanish Civil War as well as what caused it. The Santa Lucia School is meant to represent Spain itself during the ongoing Civil War. Headmistress Carmen and Dr. Cesares represent the older generation who remained naive and oblivious to the intentions of the dictatorial factions and allowed them to invade the country. The ghost represents the spirit, the emotions and the memories of Spain during happier pre-Civil War days. The adults in the school premises refuse to acknowledge its presence, but the young newcomer Carlos senses the same. Jacinto in a way represents the power hungry General Franco. The underlying theme of the film is of hope and optimism. Del Toro shows the new generation with the guidance of the elders has the capacity to usher in an era of peace by defeating the perpetrators of violence, which makes the film's theme universal and timeless.But for me, although the film has great positives, it still contains some flaws primarily in terms of the script and the character development. Although the screenplay works well as a thematic allegory for the Civil War and has the Guillermo-esque Gothic creepiness, I think when it comes to writing of the characters, it is a bit weak. I found myself astonished by how extreme the writing regarding the character of Jacinto was. Although he is supposed to represent Franco and his vicious acts are supposed to mirror those of Franco's, but in the context of the film itself, it felt rushed and underdeveloped. Considering the background and the circumstances, I found it difficult to believe that Jacinto would do the things that he is made to do in the screenplay.The acting is good from everyone. A special mention should be given to Federico Luppi who plays Dr. Cesares. In a nutshell, the film is certainly worth watching due to Del Toro's artistic vision and visual flair. The thematic backdrop and allegory of the screenplay is also admirable. But the film fails to make the transition from good to great due to the problematic, rushed and underdeveloped nature of character development.

It's a lot like "What Lies Beneath" and "The Orphanage." It's a bit of a mystery, mixed with drama of the war and its effects on a poor orphanage for young boys. One in particular whom we follow, Carlos, is new and begins to suspect that the orphanage is haunted. There isn't a lot to criticize here, yes it may be predictable and dry at times, but it's well put together with an eerie setting. Personally, as a horror fan, I'm a bit disappointed in the movie. But as del Toro fan, and a cinematic fan in general, I was well satisfied with the movie. Its harsh reality and ghost theme helps set the somber mood, and no complaints about the actors either, everybody did a convincing job in their roles. Great movie, go see it if you like mystery, drama, and yeah, even horror, why not.