The Devil's Backbone Film Analysis

Guillermo del Toro’s the Devil’s Backbone thrives as a horror film but if we peel back the layers it can be considered a scathing yet respectful look at the Spanish Civil War. Del Toro stresses the importance of memory, remembrance and reflection of the brutal conflict. The film is set in 1939, the final year of the Spanish Civil War between the Nationalists/Fascists and Republican/Popular Front. Historically this is seen as the first war a nation dropped bombs on its own civilians. Del Toro focuses on this precise period of Spanish history to tell a tale about the acceptance of trauma aided by obvious undertones of the Civil War. The Devil’s Backbone begins and ends in an identical manner, the same voiceover repeats the same shot of the bloody
This is ultimately a product of Franco’s Spain since it was the youth that were targeted to be soldiers and martyrs. Del Toro’s ending gives the film a powerful punch and it’s reminiscent of wars all over the planet where children become a product of the conflict created by adults. The children at the orphanage symbolize the tainted innocence forced to grow up and face the horrors of a world they did not create but must partake in. Jacinto, the film’s titular villain is depicted as a vessel for Franco since he oppresses the children, seeks infinite wealth and believes himself to be better than his companions. Our protagonist, Carlos, seeks the truth and fights his oppressors like the Republicans. Meanwhile Jacinto embodies the typical right-wing nationalist. One moment in the film that sums up his character and the ideologies of Spanish society at the time, was when he attempts to fix a radio that no longer works. We assume it’s to hear the current events of the ongoing conflict. However, upon whacking it, Jacinto changes it to a music station. This encapsulates society wanting to ignore the war instead of drowning it out and waiting for it to go