Page 29 - ARUBA TODAY

A29
PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 6 March 2018
Guillermo del Toro talks honoring his roots after Oscar wins

By JOCELYN GECKER them deeper," Del Toro
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guill- said.
ermo del Toro paid tribute Then he thanked Fox
to Mexico, to immigrants Searchlight for accepting
and to the borderless his "mad pitch" to make a
"world of filmmakers" as he fairytale that was both a
accepted Oscars for best musical and a thriller about
director and best picture an amphibious creature
Sunday night. and a mute woman falling
Del Toro's "The Shape of Wa- in love.
ter," a sumptuous, sensual "The Shape of Water" tells
fairytale that is a Technicol- the story of a mute cleaning
or ode to outsiders, was the lady, Eliza (Sally Hawkins)
evening's top winner with who conspires with her
four Academy Awards. It gay friend and neighbor
also won best original score (Richard Jenkins) and her
and production design. co-worker (Octavia Spen-
"Growing up in Mexico, I cer) to rescue a muscular
thought this could never merman that is being held
happen," del Toro said. "It captive in a secret Cold
happens." War-era government labo-
Del Toro's win marks the ratory.
fourth time in five years It is a love story between
that a Mexican director the two voiceless creatures
has walked away with the that includes messages of
best director awards. Del tolerance and insurrection.
Toro's friends and country- "I want to dedicate this to
men Alfonso Cuaron won every young filmmaker ... in Guillermo del Toro, winner of the awards for best director and best picture for "The Shape of Wa-
for "Gravity" in 2014 and every country in the world," ter," poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los
Alejandro Inarritu won del Toro said, encouraging Angeles.
back-to-back Oscars for filmmakers to use fantasy to Associated Press
"Birdman" in 2015 and "The tell the world about things
Revenant" in 2016. that are real. considered a front-runner to win it. Other nominees have to bring to the world
Del Toro called his fellow Some mainstream movie- for best director but faced were Christopher Nolan discourse, to the world con-
directors "my compadres," goers were turned off by a tight field of competitors ("Dunkirk) and Paul Thom- versation, it is extremely im-
saying he was an immi- the film's fantastical prem- whose wins would have as Anderson ("Phantom portant. And it is extremely
grant like them and had ise — a woman's love affair also carried strong story- Thread"). important when we do it,
spent the last 25 years living with a fish-like monster — lines. Backstage, del Toro to remember where we're
"in a country all of our own" but the Academy award- In the director category, clutched his two golden from. Because it's honoring
— partly in America, partly ed del Toro for creating a he beat out Jordan Peele statues — one in each your roots, honoring your
in Europe and elsewhere. technical masterpiece that ("Get Out") who would hand — and spoke about country."
"I think that the greatest is also an homage to cine- have been the first African- the importance of honor- "My next stop, I'm going to
thing our art does and our ma. Del Toro's film manag- American to win the award ing your roots. see my mom and my dad
industry does is to erase the es to be both nostalgic for and Greta Gerwig ("Lady "I think every time we can this week," del Toro said,
lines in the sand. We should the feel of another era and Bird") who would have demonstrate in any form — holding up both Oscars.
continue doing that when also expose its nastiness. been the second woman be it sport, science, art, cul- "I'm going back home with
the world tells us to make "The Shape of Water" was in the Oscars 90 year history ture, anywhere — what we these two babies."q
Alison Gaylin's 'If I Die Tonight' tells poignant story

By OLINE H. COGDILL also succinctly touches on things easier for his moth- ficer Pearl Maze sharpens
Associated Press parental issues, teenage er. Wade, however, has her investigative skills, while
"If I Die Tonight" (Morrow), angst, loneliness, the se- been distant, holing up in dealing with her own dark
by Alison Gaylin ductiveness of fame and his room, disappearing for side.
Crimes aren't committed the pitfalls of when that ac- hours and nearly ostracized Gaylin ladles the poignant
in a vacuum but have the claim is a thing of the past. from his classmates. Wade "If I Die Tonight" with surpris-
potential to cause ripples Each plot point weaves becomes the likely suspect es while never succumbing
throughout a community. perfectly for a poignant when high school football to the obvious or cliched.
And that community can story strengthened by its at- star Liam Miller is left in a Each character is believ-
quickly turn on one of its tention to characters. coma while trying to pre- able, and their flaws and
own, needing someone, Single mother Jackie Reed vent a carjacking. Former fears add to their humanity.
or something, to blame. is barely able to juggle all pop star Amy Nathanson, Wade's isolation isn't just a
Those connections are the the aspects of her life, in- who had one mega-hit family matter; the suspicion
bedrock of Alison Gaylin's cluding her job as a realtor as singer Aimee En during that falls on him also affects
superb standalone, "If I Die in the tightknit town of Ha- the 1980s, claims Liam was Jackie, Connor and Noah,
Tonight." venkill, New York; her sons trying to protect her and who is Connor's best friend.
Gaylin delves deep to ex- Wade, 17, and Connor, 13; keep her vintage Jaguar The crisp dialogue and in- This cover image released by
plore her characters, who and her own depression. from being stolen. As the sightful look at life in a small William Morrow shows "If I Die
want more than what Connor is smart, popular community reels from the town become fodder for Tonight," by Alison Gaylin.
their lives have brought. It and always trying to make crime, Havenkill police of- the suspenseful story.q Associated Press