SANGRE DEL TORO was put together in conjunction with the exhibition of the artifacts and collections of Guillermo del Toro on Guadalajara Mexico. The film is an examination of the things that influenced del Toro and made him who he is. It is not a straight discussion of his works. Actually, the film wanders all over the place, frequently looping back on itself, as del Toro talks about his interests and his films and we wander the exhibition and watch clips from movies.
Running a much too short 85 minutes, SANGRE is a trip into
the mind and soul of the great director. This is a film that is very much like sitting
down with someone and talking to them and having the conversation go all over
the place. It’s like a fine dinner conversation. If you are looking for
straight answers, look elsewhere. This is del Toro talking about the things
that made him who he is.
This is a film that you are going to have to watch a couple
of times. Clues to del Toro are not just in his words but in the things, we see
on screen. What seems like a throw away comment or an odd shot gets connected
up later on in the film. Halfway in I needed to go back and see it again
because there was too much to take in.
As I said, this is too short a film. There is too much to del Toro that you want to hear more about everything. I would love to have heard more about the films and comics he loves. And don’t think the run time is a flaw, it isn’t, it’s simply a statement that it is so good that you’ll want even more.
If there is any flaw in the film, it is that the opening
five or ten minutes is a bit too formal. del Toro seems to be giving a lecture
instead of talking to us. Once he loosens up the film soars.
One word of warning, this film may not work for everyone. If you want straight forward answers, if you want anything more than a look at the creative process, you maybe disappointed. However if you want to get inside a director’s head this is the one to see.
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