Del Toro Presents “Frankenstein”, An Epic Tale About the Human Condition
Guillermo Del Toro had long dreamed of giving a definitive cinematic face to the myth created by Mary Shelley. In the official competition of the Venice Film Festival, he finally unveiled his own Frankenstein, a visionary epic to be released in theatres on October 22nd. This film doesn’t belong in the gothic horror genre, but is rather an epic drama on the meaning of humanity—a theme that runs through all of his filmography and takes here on a new form.
On Saturday evening, the Mexican director walked the red carpet alongside his cast. Leading the way were Oscar Isaac, who lends his face to the scientist, and ex-rugby player Jacob Elordi, who embodies the Creature, a figure in whom fragility and monstrosity intertwine. Then, we met countless esteemed guests such as Callum Turner, Leonie Hanne, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paris Jackson, Clara Luciani, Jesse Williams, Sofia Carson and Leslie Bibb.
The film brings together extreme landscapes and 19th-century battlefields that propel the story beyond the tradition of Gothic tales. They turn it into a universal journey, a quest for meaning in a world that so often seems to have lost it.
“We are certainly living in a moment of terror and intimidation,” Del Toro said at the press conference, “and the only answers are forgiveness and love. The central question of the book is: What does it mean to be human? For me, the most urgent task—for all of us—is to remain human. This film is for those who are trying to hold on to their soul.”
In Venice, where myth and actuality coexist, his Frankenstein becomes more than an adaptation: it is a manifesto of resilience, where he displays his unshakeable belief in art as humanity’s ultimate refuge.
Text: Germano D’Acquisto
Photos: Ludovica Arcero
