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Film: The Ugliest Woman In The World
Release date: 26th September 2005
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Miguel Bardem
Starring: Elia Galera, Roberto Álvarez, Javivi, Héctor Alterio, Alberto San Juan
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Sci-Fi
Studio: Nucleus
Format: DVD
Country: Spain
The Ugliest Woman In The World slipped under the radar on its release in 1999. Unlike other genre films that have found an audience in the West, such as Let The Right One In or The Brotherhood Of The Wolf, The Ugliest Woman In The World failed to grab any attention. With its blend of Gilliam-esque whimsy and Cronenberg body horror, the film deserves more attention than it received.
Set in 2011, twelve years in the future at the time of release, the film follows Lt. Arribas as he investigates the brutal murder of an elderly woman on New Year’s Eve. Helping him with his investigation is Paleyo, a tormented detective who has fallen for a woman who used to be a man, and his team of detectives, each one more shallow than the next.
The trail leads them to Lola Otero, once a darling of the Spanish media due to her relationship with a high profile male celebrity. She disappeared soon after the death of her lover. As Lt. Arribas looks into the case in more detail, he discovers a history of abuse and torment directed at Lola. All a result of her being the ugliest baby ever born. Developing sympathy for the woman, Lt. Arribas and his team must stop Lola before she takes her revenge at the Miss Spain beauty pageant…
The Ugliest Woman In The World shares a lot with The Brotherhood Of The Wolf. Both combine genres in a unique and fresh way with varying levels of success. Shifting between science fiction, black comedy, tragic drama and body horror, the film is sometimes uneven but always enjoyable.
The film focuses on Lt. Arribas and Lola Otero. Lt. Arribas, portrayed with efficiency by veteran Spanish actor Roberto Alvarez, is an extremely sad and mournful character. The scenes where he returns to his lonely apartment and removes the various body parts hiding his physical deformities are especially effective at showing the character’s mental state. The way in which he sighs with disdain at his colleagues’ attitudes and behaviours distances this character from the standard American stereotype of the homicide detective.
Opposite Lt. Arribas is Lola Otero, the titular ‘ugliest woman in the world’. The film goes into much more detail about the traumas and abuse she suffered as a child. Although we do feel some sympathy for her, the performance of Elia Galera as the adult Lola comes across as much colder and slightly nullifies the effectiveness of the flashbacks to the abuse she suffered.
Special mention must go to Paleyo and the other homicide detectives who provide most of the comedy and relief throughout the film. The scene where they discuss the intricacies of scoring the attractiveness of the women in the beauty pageant is especially funny, as is the use of the more rotund detective as a battering ram.
The aesthetics of the film are similar to Terry Gilliam’s more subtle films. The future is portrayed as being not too dissimilar to the present, just with slight alterations. A neat visual gag at the start of the film shows a futuristic space station only to reveal it as a film playing on television. The science fiction elements are subtle and realistic. The central conceit of the injection that transforms Lola into a beautiful woman is shown sparingly, making the reveal at the end of the film much more shocking. When Lola reverts to her natural state in the final act is a triumph of grotesque CGI and make up effects. The title of the film is in no way misleading.
Tonally, the film’s changes can be sometimes off putting. As with the recent popular films from South Korean cinema, The Ugliest Woman In The World is happy to move from one tone to another within the space of a transition. This is particularly jarring after a traumatic flashback of Lola being abused as a teenage girl is immediately followed by a comedic scene of Paleyo being teased about his new relationship. The film is also very critical of the superficial nature of society and celebrity, not showing any nuance in how the beautiful people are universally ugly on the inside. With more subtlety, the film could have had a message that seemed less black-and-white. The final act of the film is also a bit of an anti-climax, as Lola’s plot to attack the beauty pageant seems to lack the logic or efficiency of her previous crimes.
The Ugliest Woman In The World is an extremely enjoyable film. Although uneven tonally in places, and with a message that lacks subtlety, the film provides a fresh take on the serial killer genre. The way it combines genres so effortlessly gives the film freshness in its style and approach. Released at the height of the Seven copycats in American cinema, The Ugliest Woman In The World would have been a welcome reprieve from the oppressively grim and ugly serial killer films released around the same time. JDW
Film: The Devil’s Backbone
Release date: 28th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 106 mins
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Marissa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Inigo Garces, Irene Visedo
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: Spain/Mexico
Guillermo del Toro has established himself as one of the most popular auteurs working today. With critical success for Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, his two most recent films, del Toro has a certain imagery and style associated with him. In The Devil’s Backbone, his third feature film, this style is subdued into an atmospheric and effective ghost story.
Set in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone follows the story of Carlos, a young boy who is taken to an orphanage by his revolutionary guardians after the death of his father. Located in the middle of a vast wasteland, it is home to a large number of orphan boys; an elderly lovelorn professor; a fiery principal with one leg; a former resident of the orphanage, who is now a caretaker with a nasty plan; and an ominous unexploded bomb.
As Carlos struggles to settle in with the other boys, he starts to see the ghost of a young boy wandering the orphanage, known to the others as “the one who sighs.” Jacinto, the caretaker, plots to steal some gold ingots kept by Carmen, the principal, until the “cause” needs them.
As tensions grow in the war and the orphanage, the professor Dr Casares decides they have to leave the orphanage. But Jacinto and the boy ghost have other plans…
The Devil’s Backbone is not a typical del Toro film. The director is normally known for his fantastical visions and horrific monsters, but these are absent here, replaced with a subtle spooky atmosphere. There are still hints of his trademark gruesome imagery, such as the unborn foetuses with mutated spinal cords suspended in jars in Dr Casares’ office. However, those who come to the film expecting monsters or big set pieces will be disappointed. What they will find is an effective ghost story, which builds up tension and suspense without reverting to typical horror clichés involving a child ghost.
Using subtle sound design and a visually distinctive location, del Toro creates a sense of increasing suspense as all the different parties begin to come into conflict with each other. It is no surprise that del Toro is a huge Hitchcock fan, using the unexploded bomb in the centre of the orphanage as a symbol of all the tensions simmering in the orphanage. The story builds effectively, and it soon becomes clear that the true villain of the piece is Jacinto, the callous caretaker played with menace by the excellent Eduardo Noriega. Like in most del Toro films, the monster is the man, not the beast.
The true stars of the film are the cast of children. Del Toro often manages to obtain great performances from young actors, and this film is no exception. Led by Carlos and Jaime, played by Fernando Tielve and Inigo Garces, the young ensemble create distinctive well rounded characters with the screen time they receive. They are all believable, even when the story becomes dramatic and more violent towards the end. The rest of the cast all perform admirably, whilst veteran actor Federico Luppi as Dr Casares really conveys the sense of years lost to unrequited love.
Shot by del Toro’s frequent collaborator Guillermo Navarro, the film is a visual treat. Forgoing the fantastic vistas and worlds that he normally creates, del Toro uses the location and colours to bring us into this world. Whether it’s the empty coldness of the hallways at night, or the blinding brightness of the sun during the day, each shot is arranged with meticulous detail. There are also many references to classic westerns; the famous shot from John Ford’s The Searchers is evoked several times, adding to the sense of isolation.
The state of limbo the characters seem to be in is referenced again and again, adding a deeper layer to the story and the mythology of the ghost story on show. Despite the references to Japanese horror films (the ghost design was based on recent, popular J-Horror films such as Ringu or Ju-On: The Grudge), there are no cheap scares. Everything feels necessary, and as such, when the pieces come together at the end, it is an extremely satisfying conclusion.
It seems a shame that del Toro has found success the way he has. With the big-budgeted The Mountains Of Madness due to start filming this year - Tom Cruise supposedly in the running for the lead role - it will be a long time before we have another personal film such as The Devil’s Backbone from Del Toro. Which is a shame as del Toro has proved in this film, and his earlier and later works Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth, that he can take a genre movie and inject it with warmth, humanity and a deeper meaning.
Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone is an excellent film. More subtle and nuanced than his Hollywood output, but with no lack of creativity or imagination. Those expecting more of an out and out horror may find that there are less kills or scares than they would expect. They will, however, find an atmospheric ghost story which makes you think. JDW
