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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 16 September 2017
Q&A: Del Toro on his festival

sensation and love of monsters

By JAKE COYLE thing in this world is sincer- that has an enchantment
AP Film Writer ity. on me.
TORONTO (AP) — There is something that My physique may not
If the Toronto International kind of touches you. It’s prove it but I’m a great
Film Festival has proven one like when you meet some- swimmer and a great diver.
thing, it’s that Guillermo del one who just exists, who’s I’ve been diving since I was
Toro can work a room. very real and just present. a kid. I almost went into a
At the premiere of his fes- The movie is very present, competition. My family had
tival sensation and sure- and it wears its heart on its a pool and I spent some-
Guillermo del Toro kisses the Golden Lion for best film for ‘The
Shape Of Water’ during the awards photo call at the 74th Venice fire Oscar contender “The sleeve in the sense that it’s times entire afternoons,
Film Festival at the Venice Lido, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. Shape of Water,” the unapologetically not a reg- entire weeks almost all the
good-humored Mexican ular movie. time underwater. Other
director had the audience AP: How did you fall in love kids dream that they can
of the Elgin Theatre in his with monsters? fly. My recurring dream is
thrall, both by the magic of Del Toro: It happened when that I can breathe under-
his monster romance and I was a young kid. Every water.
by his self-deprecating sin- Sunday in my hometown, AP: Do you think the mov-
cerity discussing the film’s channel six would show a ies could use more magic
political relevance (procla- marathon of monster mov- in them?
mations to “make America ies. So I saw “It Conquered Del Toro: Hopefully the first
great again,” he said, were the World,” ‘’The Bride magic that it can invoke is
a “false memory” of the of Frankenstein,” ‘’Crea- cinema. It’s a movie in love
segregated early ‘60s in ture of the Black Lagoon,” with love and in love with
which his film is set) as well ‘’The Incredible Shrinking cinema. It’s shot like a mu-
as his own fondness for his Man,” ‘’The Monolith Mon- sical, the way the camera
adopted home of Toronto. sters.” I would watch “The moves in a very classical
“I identify with Canada,” Raven,” ‘’The Black Cat,” movie. It’s a love story be-
said Del Toro, whose kind, ‘’Body Snatchers.” It was tween an amphibian man
mischievous eyes are every Sunday. I would go and a woman, shot by
framed by the small circles to church and I would see Douglas Sirk with musical
of his glasses and his roly- these monsters. They be- numbers and a Cold War
poly physique. “I identify came almost an iconog- thriller.
with Canadian bacon.” raphy. Frankenstein to me AP: You’ve said cinema
“The Shape of Water,” is a messiah, crucified for is sustaining for you. Like
which Fox Searchlight will sins. They became almost which films?
release Dec. 8, has been saintly pagan figures. Del Toro: Capra does that
an undeniable break- AP: Why did you identify for me. I share a spirit with
out on the festival circuit, with them? him. When people talk
where it took the top prize Del Toro: I saw I felt out about Capra, a lot of them
at the Venice Film Festival of place since I was very talk about the corny, syr-
over the weekend. young. I’m talking 2, 3, 4 upy, happy parts. But most
The film, which stars Sally years old. I saw the crea- people forget that the rea-
Hawkins as a mute woman tures and I thought: I’m like son those work is that Cap-
who falls for a captured sea that. I’m that. ra, like Disney and Dickins,
monster, is a loving tribute One Christmas, I got a goes really dark. George
to outsiders of all kinds — a scar on my forehead and I Bailey running through the
message that has been re- didn’t want it to complete- abandoned town where
ceived by festival audienc- ly heal, to have my Fran- no one remembers him is
es as a vitally relevant one. kenstein scar. as close to Kafka and hor-
Shortly after flying back to When the performer is ror as you can get. share
Toronto, award in tow, Del great — like in the cases of that attraction to combin-
Toro sat down to discuss his Boris Karloff who brought ing the sweet and the dark,
abiding affections for mon- so much vulnerability to the violent and the tender.
sters, movies and water. that part — you get this He uplifts my spirits every
AP: Why do you think your paradox that the thing you time. I cannot not cry on
film is resonating as it is? should be scared off, you “Meet John Doe.” I can-
Del Toro: For the last few find compassion and love not not cry on “Mr. Smith.”
years — and I don’t think for. I cannot not cry on “It’s a
it started two years ago — And that’s essentially what Wonderful Life.” It breaks
we’ve seen the world go- I do. me. I start weeping. I cry
ing in the wrong swing of AP: You here use water at my movie, every time. I
the pendulum. very evocatively, and know how it ends.
It causes such despair and you’ve compared water, I’ve seen it 185 times
the heart of the movie is so which can flow anywhere, and every time the fi-
utterly sincere that some- to love. nal image comes, I’m
times the most shocking Del Toro: It is an element overwhelmed.q