The Book of Life

The Book of Life

Even though the ads for The Book of Life did not really start until quite a few months just before the movie was released, some of the reasons for me looking forward to the film have not changed. It is a Guillermo Del Toro (so it comes with some pedigree), it is directed by Jorge Gutierrez (who made one of my favorite Nickelodeon cartoons, El Tigre) and, it is one of the few movies that are mainstream and are Mexican culture appreciation movies. Truth be told, I’m struggling to think of a recent animated Latino feature film (I guess most of the time its been The Road to El Dorado).

So with all of that under consideration, how pressure does The Book of Life deal with such expectations? It has to be an enjoyable children’s animated feature as well as it is important to inform the audiences on the Meso American celebration, Día de Muertos and do all of this, while making sure that it has its own storyline. Fortunately, The Book of Life does not lose all of the balance during this incredible trapeze act.

The Book of Life describes the story of three grown up childhood friends and the love they share for the bitter island of San Angel.

The third child, Maria (Zoe Saldana), is desired by two boys Manolo (Diego Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) who love her. Two gods, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), the queen of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), the king of the Land of the Forgotten, watch the two boys vying for Maria’s affections and make a wager on which boy will marry Maria in the end.

This is after Maria gets escorted to a convent for Mexican women training (yes really), the three tend to grow up in very distinct ways. Manolo is trained to be a bull fighter like all other members of his Sanchez family, but his passion lies with music, and Joaquin is decorated as a war hero because of Xibalba’s assistance. All during the time super bandit Chakal is harassing the town from afar.

The entire narrative of the Book of Life seems to be quite basic and dull as it only focuses on the events that take place in a couple of sites. This is good for the film as it makes it very easy to watch and also provides entertainment aspect that encapsulates a fairytale/fable type of concept which can be good for kids, but on the other hand, they have to fit a lot within a very short period.

To illustrate, take the example of the Land of the Remembered, which is arguably one of the best locales in the film, for it is the most picturesque and arguably the most creative in the film, however it gets all the time it gets from the film is two minutes as part of a sequence that lasts just two minutes. I realize that it is a strange observation to make, but I found the deigns of Book of Life’s landscapes so enticing that I wished to be immersed in them longer. There is just not enough expansion in many spheres. It’s comparable to chewing on a sugar skull. It appears to be attractive, yet when you actually bite into it, it is really empty. But even now, the movie is simply wonderful, at least in terms of its visuals.

In conclusion, Book of Life is and continues proving to be a visually stunning movie. It’s got a unique and appealing character design that is effective in terms of the story it is serving a story for children. By taking into consideration both Día de Muertos decorations primarily wooden puppetry and carvings and Gutierrez’s previous jobs, every character is designed in a box-like fashion with a chunky outline that suits the CGI world nicely.

It is as if one is feeling the hand of the puppeteer moving the various characters about (one of the charming details involves the majority of the characters having obvious metal joints that connect the wooden parts of the dolls together). Thanks to their toy like looks, we also buy into the suspension of disbelief needed for their world as it were, which is an entire Casona within a Casona. But this wacky but entertaining dashed shape also make for some rather disturbing real life conclusions.

The film, however, is careful to stress the positive points about Mexican culture (family values, courage, music etc.), but also looks critically at some of its ugly sides. This could be from the self mocking tone the meta commentary about how Mexico is ‘The center of the universe’ and some jokes about mustaches all add up or the plot’s requirement but it’s rather sweeping in its portrayal of women. Based on entire narrative of the film La Muerte and Manolo’s mom are in charge of their lives, but Maria is not one of them. She’s the major female character of the feature, however, her conclusion is supposed to be somehow tied to either Manolo or Joaquin.

Maria, once developed, takes on the role of a feisty woman who understands a thing or two (as she claims, does not own herself). She is not too dependent on ideals of a perfect woman; however, she still possesses the qualities of a typical Mexican lady which include being lovely, listening to her dad as the main authority figure, and being chaste among others.

In any case, the film attempts to wrestle, these three characters are still visible with the dreams of their parents. Rather a sad layer that does bring out the amount of power that parents hold in families of Mexico. Book of Life does try to point out that they are at least trying to break out of the cycle; however, the end of the movie simply negates all transformation. Its a weird blend of emotions which in all probability would have been highly effective, however in the case of Book of Life, there is never enough time to teal this notion or find the right balance between a congratulatory handshake and a strict warning.

But what if you are not as fascinated by Mexican culture as I am? Book of Life remains a satisfying read nevertheless.

Channing Tatum and Diego Luna perform great in their roles and the supporting cast is not bad, some of the jokes don’t land but are appropriate for the younger audience, the soundtrack is enjoyable as there is a combination of American pop music with Spanish elements, which contributes more to the beauty of the film.

Well, I am in two minds here. I really do cherish The Book of Life, but the sense it gives actually bothers me as the film never fulfills the criticisms it addresses. As if they are saying strange things into a corner, then when you face them, they freeze in place.

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