The ghost is a metaphor
YES
Release date: April 20, 2001
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Language: Spanish
Who should watch this movie: Fans of The Goonies. People who liked Pan’s Labyrinth.
When should you watch this movie: When doing a Del Toro marathon. When you’re in the mood for something a little scary and very political.
The sell: The Devil’s Backbone is set in the middle of a war you never actually see. It is also a ghost story FYI. Similar to Pan’s Labyrinth, Del Toro uses a child’s perspective to show audiences the true meaning of war and its consequences. Del Toro packs an enormous depth of commentary into an hour and forty-five minutes, and is able to paint a brutally honest portrait of political violence without imparting a sense of existential doom. Above all, the middle child of Del Toro’s trilogy leaves audiences with this important message: The battle against fascism will not cease so long as there is another generation to fight it.
