This is the source of the whole story of "Ghost Children's Courtyard", with a trace of bizarreness, a trace of mystery, or-very "Gilmo del Toro". As a Mexican native of Spanish, Gilmo del Toro was deeply influenced by Latin American magical realism literature and Spanish art (especially Goya's black oil paintings). Under the intertwining of the two, his works Often infiltrated with a strong dark atmosphere and all kinds of fantastic ideas, eerie and terrifying but full of humanity, dreamlike but imaginary but directly hitting reality. From "Devil's Silver Claw" to "Scarlet Peak", each one is intoxicating and mesmerizing.
Gilmo del Toro's hatred of fascist atrocities, his enthusiasm for Spanish history, and his love for black fairy tales directly gave birth to two great works: "Ghost House" and "Pan's Labyrinth". If "Pan Shen's Labyrinth" is more magnificent and magnificent, then "Ghost Children's Courtyard" is slightly smaller, but it is the beginning of this model, and it is more black and pure. Why use a child's perspective to tell an adult-oriented story? In his own words: "Fascism kills innocence, beauty and childhood, and represents the death of the soul. Because it forces you to make painful choices and leaves an indelible track in your heart."
The orphanage in "The House of Ghost Children" is like a small closed world, isolated from the Spanish Civil War, but it also has inexhaustible contact with the outside world, so that the "magic" inside the courtyard and the "reality" outside the courtyard are inextricably linked. An organic connection was reached. The magical little world of the orphanage is almost a microcosm of the cruel world outside, and several major adult characters represent several aspects of human nature. Carmen, the female dean with a broken leg, has a strong desire for both the mind and the body. In the morning, she will wake up to the poetry chanting of the doctor next door, and in the evening, the young Jacinto will meet her physical needs; Doctor Casa Reis has always been secretly in love with the dean, although his literary attainments can bring joy to the other party, but in that respect he is ashamed of himself, secretly using the rum soaked in dead babies to aphrodisiac; Jacinto grew up in an orphanage, but right He has a strong obsession with his life experience, money, and the outside world, and he has always coveted the dean's gold bullion.
Thus, in the tearing of desire and morality, violence gradually breeds, just like the real world. One night, Jacinto was hit by Sandy when he tried to steal gold bars. The fierce Jacinto killed Sandy and plunged into the sinking pool. Almost at the same time, a bomb fell from the sky, and the magic and reality bridged. Jacinto and the bomb seemed to be the projection of fascism in the orphanage, and the children's paradise was shrouded in the devil's lust. In fact, if you think and compare a little, you will find that the dean and the doctor represent intellectuals. On the one hand, they hate the right-wing fascists and sympathize with the revolutionaries. On the other hand, they are unable to change the status quo, which reflects that this class is both kind and weak. Characteristics.
At this time, the "ghost" appeared at the right time. At the beginning and the end of the film, the voice-over defines "ghost" twice: "What is a ghost? Is it a tragedy that is destined to repeat itself? Or perhaps it is a temporary pain. It is something that has died, but sometimes it seems to be still To be alive. It’s an emotion that stays in time. It’s like a vague photo, or an insect trapped in amber.” In short, the “ghost” in "Ghost Kid’s Courtyard" is a pair of supernatural powers. Compensation for the pain of the past and the shortcomings of reality. The former corresponds to Sandy’s successful revenge against Jacinto, and the latter corresponds to the ghost of a doctor to help the child get out of trouble. The karma of Eastern Buddhism has found Gilmour del Toro's artistic inspiration for punishing evil and promoting good.
The changes in the orphanage have condensed a tragic experience of the collapse of the country and the family. Since it is a "fairy tale", even if it is black and cruel, there is hope after all. The children overcame the fear of death and Jacinto, so that Sandy's spirit in the sky rested in peace. The ghost of the doctor finally watched the children walk out of the gloomy orphanage to a place full of sunshine, making the ending full of poetry and warmth. One bright and one dark represent two worlds. The dark, sad, and tyrannical world is left behind, and the bright, beautiful, and hopeful world is just ahead.
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