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“Where and Who We Are Changes as Life Shapes Us With Blows and God Dictates the Form”: Guillermo del Toro's Message Ahead of FRANKENSTEIN'S Premiere at the 23rd FICM

Alan Rodríguez

The Mariano Matamoros Theater in Morelia's Historic Center hosted the Latin American premiere of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.

Thanking Netflix for making this special screening possible as part of the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), Daniela Michel, founder and director of the festival, read a message from Guillermo del Toro in which he expressed regret at not being able to attend and noted the importance of having made this film. 

“Where and who we are changes as life shapes us with blows and God dictates the form. When I was very Catholic as a child, I thought about telling the story of God the Father and God the Son united by the research of pain and death—in that last moment of doubt on the cross—but through Frankenstein. I thought of talking about how strange it is to be the son of a man who is difficult to understand, but over time, even while I was behaving like a son, I became a father myself. And despite avoiding it for decades, I discovered my father in the mirror when I turned 42. 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," the director wrote. 

The Mexican director's latest feature, which participated in the main competition at this year's Venice Film Festival, is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

“It's curious how one ends up being both the hero and the villain of one's own movie. But also how redemption is never late... it only comes when it has to. A thousand hugs to everyone,” concluded Guillermo del Toro. 

Before the screening began, Daniela Michel thanked the audience and reiterated how important the film is to Guillermo del Toro and to the festival: “You know how much he loves Mexico, how important this film is in his filmography, so it's a great pleasure for us to welcome you on his behalf. We love him very much.”