Horror's New King
After Pans Labyrinth last year, its surprising not to have a film in theaters by Guillermo del Toro, our newest expert of horror/fantasy. He did produce The Orphanage, however, the first feature by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona and screenwriter Sergio Sánchez, which resonates with cinematic overtones of films of the Mexican director.
These guys and I use gothic motifs to explore fundamental human emotions, explains del Toro. The idea that the strength of internal reality can affect external reality, and that childhood is painful and plagued with disease. The Orphanage, like Pans Labyrinth, is a childs narrativelike Peter Panplayed out with the trappings and aesthetic of the horror genre.
NYPress: I understand you agreed in pre-production to unconditionally present the film. Thats an enormous expression of faith in these first-feature filmmakers. What gave you that level of confidence in the project? DEL TORO: Actually, this has the feeling of fate about it. Ive known Juan Antonio since 1983. He was a kid pretending to be a journalist to get into the movies, but he asked smart questions about technique, so we went for a coffee and talked. He was tiny and endearing and said he was a filmmaker, and we stayed in touch. Laterwell, its bizarre, convoluted: Another guy showed me his short films and I hired him to storyboard Blade II. Based on that gig, he got a gig directing a movie in Canada. That movies producer was in Cannes and saw Juan Antonios shorts, but they were the films this other guy used to get the Blade II gig. The producer called the other guy, who confessed. Juan Antonios shorts were terrificI knew he could make this film. I loved the idea and Sergios script.
How much guidance did you give? We talked. I offered maybe 10 ideas; they rejected six of them. I tweaked some of the scares. But its completely their film and, actually, very different from the movie I would have made.
How so? Well, Id make the husband a stronger presencebut not to make the film male-dominated. This must be a female-centric film because, ultimatelywell, I believe that the female gender transforms the world, gives it a different spin, is the creative force. In The Orphanage, the mother wants her son back, and she wills the world to bend to her perceptionslike the girl bends the world to her perceptions in Pans Labyrinth. That wouldnt change. But I think a stronger husband creates an interesting triangle, a dynamic balance between the mother, son and husband in this creepy house, which is also a character.
And I would treat Simón differently. I didnt imagine him as Juan Antonio cast himfull of zest and temper tantrums. The kid who plays Simón is perfect in this movie, but I would have gone another waywith a pale, withdrawn kid. And, he has AIDS, so Id explore where it came from, how it resonates with the history of the parents, feelings of survivors guilt and the legacy of the orphanage, where the mother grew up.
Mainstream cinema discriminates against children as characters: Theyre either spunky skateboarding kids or sweet-loving chocolate-covered faces, but I say make them as complex, imperfectmortalas any other character. Im interested in exploring that. If this movie had taken the mainstream route, the mother would have arrived at the cellar in time to give the kid mouth-to-mouth, and he would happily cling to her and theyd run into the forest as the house explodes in a ball of flames. What moves me about the ending of this film is that its very differenteven from what youd expect in this genre. Thats what Im interested in exploring: The child has equal possibility of danger as any adult character.
And Id treat the supernatural elements a little differentlyexpand them. Actually, this script, this story, fascinates me so much, Im gonna do this film againmy way. Thats a first for me because I dont like remakes. But this is different.
Will you direct? No. I have someone great in mind, but I wont say who because if I do, it will never happen.
Will Belén Rueda star again? Shes so strong in this version. Were you instrumental in casting her? Id be delighted to work with her again. She was Juan Antonios first choice, and if hed wanted to cast a Spanish scream queen, I wouldnt have been interested in the project. But Beléns a really solid actor, and audiences empathize with her. Some actors have that quality. Others, you say, Thats a fabulous actor, and I dont give a fuck what happens to her. But Belén has brutal empathy with the audience. From the moment she enters, you want her to do well, prosper, be happy. In horror, if a characters walking down a corridor, and theres a presence at the end of the corridorif theres no empathy, its a horrible scene. If theres empathy its a great scene. Belén has empathy in spades.
This film, Pans Labyrinth and the upcoming 3993the project youre developing with Sergio Sánchezare all set in and made in Spain. Why is your connection to Spanish cinema so strong? Well, Im Mexican, and we have Spanish roots. But the actual connection is because of Almodóvar. Hes my mentor, my inspiration and he gave me the possibility to make The Devils Backbone. Now, Im passing that on to Juan Antonio and Sergio. Theres such talent and vitality in Spanish cinema now. Its exciting to see where its going, to be part of making it happen.
Juan Antonio and Sergio were halfway into pre-production and completely out of money when they came to me, having the problems Id had when Almodóvar backed me: Their funding sources doubted the effective interplay of the horror genre and emotion-based drama. They were finding that good actors they wanted to cast didnt want to make horror movies. I knew I could bump open some doors for Juan Antonio and Sergio, and that felt right. The freshness they bring to the genre excites me. Sure, its great to watch the mastersthe new Cronenberg or Romerobut I love seeing the new guys come in and say, Im here, and Im gonna stay.
Getting back to your connection with Almodóvar, you both have such strong commitment to the female as the creative force... Yes, its very strong and that commitment, that mutual belief, really connects us strongly. But female isnt always gender specific. I mean, its possible for the female creative force to be more present in men sometimes than it is in women. But that female creative force is what transforms the world, and female characters in Almodóvars films and mineand in The Orphanagedo have the power to bend reality to their will.
I think you have some of that, too. Whats next for you? Im going back to London to finish editing Hellboy II, which will be released in July, 2008. But, thats a male-centric film.