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 Devil's Backbone, The
(2001)
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve
Release Company:
Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: R
Official Site
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Saturn Devouring One of His Children, 1821-23
Giclee Print
Goya, Francisco...
Buy at AllPosters.com
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"What is a ghost? An emotion, a terrible moment condemned to repeat itself over and over? An instant of pain, perhaps? Something dead which appears at times alive. A sentiment suspended in time ... like a blurry photograph ... like an insect trapped in amber."
A ghost story set near the end of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil's Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo) proceeds methodically but with much greater impact than The Others with its single trick gimmick. Guillermo del Toro's flawed work creates a dreamy gothic environment that haunts because it deals with real emotional elements and takes its time to develop characters. It also rings true--ghosts don't hang around to scare people--they linger because of unfinished business. Del Toro captures the melancholy tone accurately though this may not sit well with people who expect more action and devilry.
The Santa Lucia School stands alone as a refuge in the desert plateau region with a defused bomb looming in the center courtyard and a spooky basement that serves as the abode of a missing student. Enter gentle 10-year old orphan Carlos (Fernando Tielve) to the den of Republican loyalists, dysfunction, and the supernatural. A cross hides the political stance of the two surviving headmasters, who have long suffered unrequited love for each other--Professor Casares (Federico Luppi) and Carmen (Marisa Paredes) a war widow with a wooden leg. Three servants also remain--Alma (Berta Ojea), beautiful Conchita (Irene Visedo), and ominous former student Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega).
As is the case when any new student arrives, Carlos suffers teasing and hazing, mostly from older and bigger Jaime (Inigo Garces) before winning his classmates' respect. Carlos causes a major stir when assigned to bed number 12, Santi's bed--for that is the bed of the missing student who is rumored to be the sighing ghost of the school. Sensitive little Carlos must somehow share a destiny with the missing lad, and del Toro plays out the inevitable relentlessly.
The suspense occurs not so much because of the storyline, but more due to settings themselves and brooding atmosphere. Don't expect a thrill ride or lots of startling moments to make you jump out of your seat--the film proceeds cautiously like the looming darkness as night first falls. Expectations of horror will grossly disappoint. Del Toro doesn't go for quick and cheap scares. Much more like Edgar Allan Poe's drawn out "The Gold Bug" than the more dramatic "The Pit and the Pendulum" the mystery slowly unfolds with symbolism to tie in Spanish Civil War themes.
The unexploded bomb that may or may not continue to tick makes little sense until we realize that it’s a symbol, and the school's characters take on the microcosm of the war itself--elders and children blatantly representing the past and future. What really happened on the day the bomb fell into the courtyard and Santi disappeared? Who is most trustworthy? What does the medicine from the "Devil's Backbone" represent? Who, if anyone, is destined to survive?
But even without pondering the symbolism, the film works for its often lyrical desert-brown cinematography and understated acting. The real stars are Federico Luppi and Marisa Paredes (Huma from All About My Mother). Luppi brings the kindly teacher to life, and the pained looks in the face of his sexual impotence while caring deeply for his beloved bring sympathy. Paredes plays against stereotype by combining both a matronly manner along with a healthy cynicism. Both are believably human as their characters reveal themselves.
The Devil's Backbone is a worthy addition to Mexican director del Toro's resume, following Cronos and 1997's Mimic, which had a mutant subway bug that chases Mira Sorvino around. The set design has similar qualities of emptiness but doesn't rely on monsters or pubescent teen slashing for the thrills. Instead the camera lingers around the campfire to tell an intriguing ghost story with a satisfying ending. Categorizing the film in the horror genre would mislabel the true intent--the impending war on the outside and threats from the living within are bigger threats than any apparition. Like The Others, to which it will inevitably be compared, the basic plot remains predictable, but del Toro provides enough atmosphere and character to elevate it above mediocrity.
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