Powerful

Best movie of this year hands down!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Watch it in Spanish wt subs! His best movie. great cast and story. better then Pan. thanks.

Set at an orphanage in a remote corner of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, the narrative here mixes a great deal of human drama in with a supernatural ghost story. The owners of the orphanage hide a large cachet of gold somewhere within and the aggressive and violent handyman constantly seeks its location. The boys live in fear of this bully, as well as of the ghost of a boy called Santi who vanished the day of the arrival of a bomb. A bomb which remains unexploded and buried vertically in the courtyard.Like his later masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo del Toro has concocted another tale with a backdrop of the Spanish Civil War which intertwines grim reality with a supernatural thread. In the case of this movie, the War is far more in the background yet so too is the ghost story. In fact, the horror is very downplayed here with what is essentially a sympathetic ghost and little in the way of genuine scare-oriented scenes. It is a technically very well-made film and it does sport good performances. It is a fine movie in many ways, yet at the same time it sort of feels like it could have added up to more. Perhaps the human drama section is not strong enough, given its main prominence in the story overall and perhaps the characters just aren't as interesting or sympathetic as they need to be. Whatever the case, it feels like something is missing here. Yet, I would still have to say it is certainly a good film on account of some of its visual ideas and de Toro's sure directorial hand but ultimately this is one I would recommend yet perhaps suggest is slightly over-rated.

'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.

This is a beautifully shot haunting film about a boy in a haunted orphanage during the Spainish civil war.This film has a great creepy atmosphere but it is more a drama with horror elements than a straight up horror film which I think can lead to some people being initially disappointed but if you know what you're going into I'm sure you'd appreciate how great this film is.The acting is great, same with the visuals especially the look of Santi and there quite a few memorable scenes that will stick with you.This film is highly recommended.8/10