Jacob Elordi is Transformative in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein

The most anticipated film for the 52nd edition for the Telluride Film Festival was Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” and although the Oscar winning director (“The Shape of Water”) wasn’t able to attend, one of his stars Oscar Isaac (Victor Frankenstein) was welcomed with deafening cheers and applause.

Unapologetically wearing a “Gulf of Mexico” t-shirt, Isaac introduced the film by sharing this monster classic is a passion project for del Toro. He  (del Toro) phoned Isaac sharing that he was “creating a banquet for you. You just have to show up and eat.”

Needless to say there was a lot to munch on in this latest iteration. From the first silent film in 1910 to recent version, there have been well over 100 direct film adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and hundreds of appearances by the monster in features, shorts and TV series, making it one of the most adapted stories in history.

Produced by Netflix, this version is told in three chapter, Prelude, Part One: Victor’s Tale and Part Two: Creature’s Tale and in the end we are left with the message of for every man there is a remedy to pain – death.

Jacob Elordi as the monster with a heart is unrecognizable and begins as a powerful, dangerous entity, who carries the equally dangerous capacity to learn from human behavior.  Behavior that can become tricky and contradictory to not only a monster, but humans alike.  Mia Goth (Elizabeth) is mysteriously gorgeous using her eyes to convey the depths of her emotion from nearly nothing to intense adoration. Oscar Isaac as the mad, brilliant scientist tortured with ambition which rages his own passions is exciting to watch. Witnessing him navigate the gamit of conflicting emotionality toward his fiancé (Goth) and the creation he has brought into existence is a sight to behold as it also spotlights the emotions of jealousy and insecurity in its rawest forms.

Technically, every ounce of this film is like having a seat a tthe most exclusive cinematic buffet.  From the production to costume and sound design aspects, it is simply exquisite. While this version of the famous horror tale has familiar elements plot wise, the Beauty and the Beast element is a little half baked this time.  It didn’t feel as fully fleshed out as other chapters of the story.

As an immigrant, the filmmaker uses his medium to make that statement during a scene with a blind man and the monster. The blind man has no prejudice in his heart – nor does the monster.  Yet, those with eyes, base their hatred fully on what they assume they see in the monster.  As a woman and a person of color in America, it is a feeling I’ve experience one to many times in all sectors of my life.

Yet, the most profound lesson learned in Frankenstein is the power and tenacity of what it is to be loved and to have experienced unconditional love. To be lost and found – that is the lifespan of love.

Frankenstein is a dark and emotion roller coaster ride in which transformation means more than what what meets the eye.