Fresh off its Mexican premiere at last week’s 23rd Morelia International Film Festival, Guillermo del Toro’s psychological and deeply human version of “Frankenstein” will hit theaters across Mexico on Thursday, ahead of its Nov. 7 debut on Netflix.
Though the Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker — whose strong sense of the macabre is well-noted — wasn’t in Morelia due to filming commitments, he is scheduled to be in Mexico City for a Nov. 3 red-carpet event alongside stars Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.
The 149-minute film was part of the festival’s International Premieres section, and Del Toro helped introduce it via a short, Netflix-produced video.
The English-language film didn’t win any awards in Morelia, but was well-received, just as it was at its world premiere in August at the Venice International Film Festival.
There, it won Fanheart3’s Graffetta d’Oro, a fan-based award given to the movie that people will be talking about the most and has the best chance to become a cult film.
It was also first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award for Best Film at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.
In Del Toro’s absence in Morelia, festival founder and director Daniela Michel read a statement from the 61-year-old, much-honored filmmaker — a Guadalajara native who has won Academy Awards for best director and best picture for “The Shape of Water” (2017) and best animated feature for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (2022).
Overall, his films have won eight Oscars, including three for his 2016 breakout hit “Pan’s Labyrinth,” plus 14 Ariel Awards, Mexico’s top film honors, including nine for his 1992 debut feature “Cronos.”
In his lengthy statement, he talked about how he was plagued for years by being “the son of a man who is difficult to decipher,” underscoring the personal nature of the film.
“Despite avoiding it for decades, I discovered my father in the mirror when I turned 42,” Del Toro said, through Michel. “I had to stop the cycle of pain before passing it on to my daughters, and I decided that the two most powerful tools were forgiveness and acceptance. All of this is in ‘Frankenstein.’”
Inspired by Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, the film reimagines the myth through Del Toro’s gothic romantic lens.
Isaac stars as a conflicted, tormented and obsessive Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Elordi portrays the Creature — a role the director described not as monstrous, but as “a reflection on family dynamics and the relationship between parents and children.”
Critics have praised the film’s visual design and emotional depth.
In the short introductory video shown at the festival last week, Del Toro said in Spanish, “I hope you enjoy this film and each of its characters with an open heart and a deep Mexican identity.”
A trailer in Spanish can be viewed here, or here if you prefer English.
With reports from El Universo, Milenio and Abejorro Media
