The Devil's Backbone: Review By The Lost Girl

Italian director Guillermo del Toro is one of the most talented, brilliant, visually creative directors today. I have seen all of his films, with the exception of one, "Cronos", which I'm putting on my Netflix list as soon as I'm finished writing this. His movies spark emotion, imagination, fantasy, and yet have an adult tone to them so you don't feel as if you are watching a "kiddie film".

A moviewebber friend suggested that I watch this, since she knew that I liked "The Orphanage". I'm glad she did as this is one of the finest films I have yet to see.

The movie is set during the Spanish Civil War. A young boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is dropped off at an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is run by 2 loyalists, Casares (Frederico Luppi) and Carmen (Marisa Paredes). Carlos' father died in the war but he does not know that; he thinks he will just be there for a short time. The first thing that he sees in the courtyard is a huge bomb right in the middle, standing straight up. Apparently the bomb was dropped but never exploded. He is assured that it has been defused.

Also at the orphanage are other children, all boys. One in particular, Jaime, gives Carlos a hard time, but as the movie progresses along we find out his story and why he is acting so mean.

During an investigation of his surroundings, Carlos meets Santi, a young boy who is, well, a ghost. This ghost is visually stunning, though. del Toro has this ghost looking white, as most do, but he also has a stream of bright red blood flowing out of a gash in his head - UPWARDS.

I won't give any storyline away, but the movie focues on Carlos, the other kids, and Santi (who the boys call "the one who sighs"). Also at the orphanage is an older janitor, named Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), who seems to think there is gold hidden somewhere in the orphanage. He will stop at nothing to get it, even if it includes hurting people.

This is not a very gory movie, nor can I call it horror. It has the elements of a horror movie with a ghost, but it's a ghost story on a deeper level. If you know del Toro's work, you know what I mean.

As you can see, I gave everything 5 stars. From the directing, to visuals, to acting, everything was top notch. I highly recommend that you see this movie. It is well worth it.