Cinefile

Narrative movies built on contradictions (whether purposeful or not) are tricky propositions. I feel that it is only with the occurrence of a “happy accident” or a “beautiful disaster” that such films are worth the time spent to watch them. More often then not, however, narrative movies with a loose sense of purpose and a sporadic tone end up feeling far too slippery. Any satisfaction to be found in such an experience is elusive.

That notion, I feel, describes Guillermo del Toro's debut feature film, Cronos, quite well. He introduces you to a hall of odd trinkets and artifacts - all through the lens of  an obsessive film buff -  but the director overindulges in his fan-boyish knowledge of movies. He turns the macabre horror of Cronos into a mish-mash of Spanish art house, an episode of Tales from the Crypt and classic Italian horror cinematography. It's a big mess. The mess is intriguing and sometimes even rewarding, but it -is- still a mess.

The film centers on Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), a grandfather that runs an antiques shop  with his granddaughter, Aurora (Tamara Shanath). One day, Jesus discovers an ancient artifact capable of granting eternal life to the user in his shop. The device attaches itself to him, prompting an unnatural addiction to blood. Soon after, Jesus is hounded by a dying tycoon (Claudio Brook) and his imposing son (Ron Perlman), who are searching for the device themselves.

Guillermo is a thoughtful and articulate film fan - that's for certain - but as a filmmaker (particularly this first feature of his) he can't quite harness the distinctive impact his forbears had carved out in their own right. It's clear he wanted Cronos to be a  malleable affair - it's arbitrary backstory, meandering pace and over-the-top performances show a man interested in anything but “concise”. There is just no “happy accident” or brazen culmination of style to justify such a reckless palette. 

With blasts of film score skittering in at the most painfully obvious “shock” moments, you get a series of disconnecting experiences: insects crawling all over, Jesus' endearing relationship with his shy granddaughter, a sterilized factory, Ron Perlman being absently vain and the grotesque peeling of dead skin from the body. It's all barely connected by del Toro the tour guide, doing his best to envelope you in his long-labored hall of dark wonders.

At least the look of the film helps prop up the wobbling tent poles of the story. It has a rich density to it - red/yellow light flooding across the screen in homage to Dario Argento (according to del Toro). The special effects show a great deal of ingenuity, particularly the inner-workings of the scarab artifact with it's gleaming metal cogs and deep red blood pumps. Jesus' peeling flesh is also a highlight - the black decay quickly transformed into pearl-white reptilian skin. It may all be very gruesome but it's extremely evocative. While del Toro and his crew may have faltered in other respects, Cronos as an exercise in visual effects is outstanding.

Great looks won't save you in the end, however. Cronos is so blatantly inconsistent that you could swear several different directors argued over the entire production process. Perhaps del Toro was “over-influenced” by his mega-movie brain. All the references and research end up drowning out his own voice and, subsequently, Cronos plays out like an exploded swatch of fandom. Sure, it's interesting to see where the pieces may fall but they're just as easily swept away.

DVD Special Features:

As with many Criterion releases, this DVD comes filled to the brim with special features. I was particularly impressed with the fact that they included del Toro's short student film, Geomotria. The film is an interesting little glimpse at del Toro's origins and the strong influences that continued to run on through the rest of his work. In another feature, the director takes you on tour of his “man-cave” called Bleak House, which holds all of his books, figures, artwork and movies. It's pretty surreal to see just how much the man  has amassed. Additionally, there are interviews with cast and crew. Particularly of note was Ron Perlman's interview, where the actor discusses how he tried to learn Spanish on set and del Toro's ability to craft eccentric characters.