 The films of Guillermo del Toro are hard to place into specific categories. They're stories full of contrast, and that's because they're inspired by reality, fantasy, history, the present and the future. They both fit into the archetypal storytelling molds that we were familiar with, and also actively oppose them. Despite that, there are reoccurring images, themes, and motifs that exist across his entire filmography which spans over 25 years. The stories all feel connected, with each film released helping to prop up and give meaning to his previous works. At the center of almost all of his stories is one central idea, the contrast between the humane and the monstrous. In its simplest form, this boils down into the contrast between good and evil. His films have very sound morals, there are characters who are unequivocally good, those full of innocence who will do what is right no matter the cost. Then there are others determined to do bad and to hurt others for their own self-gain. Del Toro's films make a very distinct difference between monsters and the non-human. To Del Toro, a monster is someone or something who actively tries to harm others, whereas the non-human is something completely different. An outsider, someone who doesn't belong in the human world, yet is forced to be there. Contrast is of the utmost importance in the shape of water. Throughout the entire film, Del Toro plays with our expectations about what is good and what is bad. He based the very rough outline of the story on early horror films, especially Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. This vision of Julie Adams swimming over the Gilman in Creature from the Black Lagoon and I thought that's the most beautiful image I've ever seen. And I really at age six, I really thought they're gonna end well and when it ended really, really bad, I thought I gotta correct this. But instead of vilifying the Creature, he did the opposite. He showed the humanity that he has, and he turned it into a love story. The story's real monster is Colonel Strickland, someone who in a more traditional story may have been the protagonist or hero, but in this, he is painted as anything but. The film shows off his true nature, selfish, heartless, and uncompassionate and evil. And this helps to illustrate the film's main message that our preconceived conceptions can often times be wrong. It would be easy to think of Dr. Hofstetler, the Russian agent, as one of the film's antagonists. But he proves to be one of the most humane characters of the entire movie. What did she say? She said you're a good man, Dr. Hofstetler. The film puts a very important focus on the individuals rather than groups. The other Russians prove to be just as heartless as Strickland, but that doesn't mean that all are. In Pan's labyrinth, monsters come in many forms. Ophelia, our protagonist, is thrust into a world of chaos. She is unsure of who she can trust and is surrounded by violence, war, and the ruthless Captain Vidal. She finds solace and comfort in the magical world where she is able to gain control over her own life. However, even in the magical world, monsters still exist, and she is forced to confront evil no matter where she is. Another major theme of his work is transformation, how good becomes evil and how evil can become good. Throughout all of Crimson Peak, we are unsure of who we can trust and who is looking for self-gain. We're brought into an elaborate story of betrayal, mistrust, and hidden plans without a real guide. For the bulk of the film, Thomas is painted out to be one of the antagonistic forces. Due to his love and affection for Edith, he comes around and redeems himself. He chooses to sacrifice himself for the well-being of Edith and MacMichael. Kronos focuses on how long a man can stay good as he loses his humanity. After finding a mysterious device that gives him immortality, Jesus is forced to confront his inner nature changing. His entire life is driven by the love of his granddaughter, but the machine's gift comes with a curse, the thirst for human blood. At the start of the film, he embraces this, trying to make the most out of it and trying to live forever. But by the end of the story, when his need threatens the well-being of his granddaughter, he chooses to give up his immortality for the betterment of her. He sacrifices himself for the betterment of others and the betterment of humanity. Hellboy is a literal demon who was brought to earth by the Nazi Party, despite that however he was raised right, and became a protector of the people of earth. Without both films he is faced with choices, to do what is best for him or for everybody else. It's a constant internal conflict that perfectly asks the question, what do I owe these people? In the end he chooses others over himself, and in doing so, becomes a real hero. This all shows that to del Toro morality is fluid. We aren't defined by our past actions, instead who we are is based on the quality of the individual and how we behave moving forward. Do we put others in front of ourselves, do we treat others well, or do we abuse others for self-gain? Throughout many of his films, characters start down the road towards wickedness. They are often shaped by their environments, and the evil of the world is reflected on to them. This end of itself doesn't make these characters bad, instead it is how they act in response to going down this path. Do they find some beauty in turning their life around? Do they see the evil that they could have become and made an effort to not go in that direction? Or do they accept it and truly become evil? Even though past actions don't shape who his characters are, they still have an impact on them. A major idea throughout Del Toro's filmography is exploring how past distress manifests itself in the present. In his article focusing on Pan's labyrinth in The Devil's Backbone, Christopher Hartney writes, in both films Del Toro is attempting to use the fantastic to say something profound about the most significant rupture in the recent history of the hispanophone world, a civil war. And both of these films focus on the long-standing repercussions that such a devastating event had. They focus on the disappearance and murder of children, the corruption of those with power, and how violence has impacts that go much further than what you may expect at first glance. Throughout almost all of his films, we can feel the presence of absent parental figures. In Crimson Peak, it is revealed that we need to find closure with the past to move forward with our own lives. Thomas is obsessed with trying to keep an idealized version of the past alive, a version that was never right, but he found a way to justify it. It isn't until he meets Edith and finds beauty in a world that has very little, is he able to appreciate the value of others. He sees the wrong in himself and his sister, and is able to move on. The link exists between your heart and mine, and should that link be broken either by distance or by time, then my heart would cease to beat and I would die. Similarly, The Devil's Backbone shows off the importance of breaking negative cycles. The movie defines a ghost as a tragedy doomed to repeat itself. It appears as though Jaime is doomed to follow in the same footsteps as Jacinto. They are both raised in a violent world and have violent tendencies. Over the course of the film, we watch as Jaime begins to find an appreciation of beauty in the world through his artwork or in Conchito, and because he finds the beauty in the world, he moves away from the violence and towards the humanistic. And that is all that anyone can do to find a meaning in life. While Torah makes worlds that are full of evil, those that are in a constant state of war, those with a constant barrage of monsters trying to threaten humanity, or as in the case of the shape of water, those that are full of bad people and horrific events hidden under a very thin veil of a prosperous and good world. But like I said earlier, his films are full of contrast, and there is still good to be found in these worlds and good to be appreciated. Number one thing is films are full of good people, those who stand for something that is right and are willing to fight the evil in the world for the betterment of others. His protagonists, who are often times weak and vulnerable children, are able to find solace in the good of others. Good is able to nourish more good and lead to a world with hope and positivity. Companionship and finding a friend who compliments you can make the best out of even the worst scenarios. In the shape of water, Eliza and Zelda are a perfect match for one another. Eliza likes the companionship of Zelda and likes to live a different life vicariously through her stories. And Zelda uses Eliza's silence as a therapeutic way to work through her own problems, and together, the two are able to not only pass the time, but enjoy each other's company in a place that should be anything but enjoyable. Art is also able to set people free. Through Ophelia's fairy tales, Eliza's music, Edith's writings, or Jaime's comic books, all of these characters are able to find liberation from a world that offers no other escape from the torment that they face every day. They find freedom in their stories and are able to find an escape to a world that is better. With Deltora, this is in many ways self-referential. He has spoken many times about how his stories have been able to set him free, how, well, he can explain it better than I can. For 25 years, I have handcrafted very strange little tales, make of motion, color, light, and shadow. And in many of these instances, in three precise instances, these strange stories, these fables, have saved my life. Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed. I wanted to let you know that I just appeared on the Off-Screw at Film Review podcast where we discussed Ready Player One, video essays, and a few other topics. There's a link in the description. Please go check it out. It was a lot of fun, a lot of great topics that we covered. This video was so much fun to make. It started out as a singular film episode on The Shape of Water, but as I was writing it, I kept on referencing Deltora's other films and it just made more sense to completely scrap it and rewrite it with a new focus on the overarching philosophy of his entire filmography. Obviously, videos like this take a lot more time to research, write, and because it was a bit longer than usual, edit, but nonetheless, I always love going into depth on a filmmaker's work, especially one who offers so much discussion as Guillermo del Toro. Please let me know if this style of video is preferred to the more traditional content that I make. I think I'm going to make a bigger push in the future to discuss the works of other great filmmakers in addition to the more traditional singular film discussions, but I obviously want to make sure that this is the style of content that you want to see. Anyway, if you're new here, make sure you hit that subscribe button. I have a new video going up every Saturday. In case you missed it, I put a link to my last video on the Shoshank Redemption, so check that video out if you're interested and I will see you next week. Thanks for watching.