From Pinocchio to Frankenstein - The Savior of Being 'Not Normal' | My Netflix Movie Analysis as an AC x HSP

I'm Yamane😊
This time, I would like to write about the 2022 Netflix film 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio'.

⚠️ This article analyzes the Netflix film 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' and contains spoilers. Please be careful if you haven't watched it yet!

Netflix film 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio'

It is no exaggeration to say that this movie is the one that has left the deepest impression on me among all the works I have watched on Netflix... Actually, I planned to write this article yesterday, so I rewatched the movie and ended up sobbing again😭

I think the reason I am so moved is that in this film, like Pinocchio, those who are 'not normal'—those who are lonely and carry pain—are depicted as the ones who truly understand what it means to 'live'.

As someone with an AC (Adult Child) background and HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) tendencies, I have lived my life finding it difficult to live 'normally' and feeling that life is a struggle.
That is why, watching this movie, I felt like I was given the courage to affirm myself.

The intriguing connection to Director Guillermo del Toro's latest work

And actually, this November, Director Guillermo del Toro's new film 'Frankenstein' is scheduled to be released on Netflix!!

Pinocchio and Frankenstein might seem like completely different genres at first glance, but I have a feeling that these two works have a major commonality and will be deeply connected...

With that in mind, I would like to write about 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' from my perspective as an AC x HSP!

What is the Del Toro version of 'Pinocchio' like?

The Del Toro version of 'Pinocchio' is a slightly eerie troublemaker

The origin story of Pinocchio in the Del Toro version is very dark and heavy.

Pinocchio's birth is depicted as Geppetto, heartbroken after losing his young son to war, drunkenly and desperately carving a wooden puppet, which is then given borrowed life by a fairy who pities him.

Therefore, Pinocchio in this film is not a being born with the blessing of his creator.

Because of the circumstances of his birth, the Del Toro version of Pinocchio also looks a bit eerie.

Furthermore, he is depicted as a troublesome existence who doesn't listen to people at all.

This is because, in the first place, Pinocchio has no sense that he must listen to what people say.
So, he simply does what he wants to do.

As a result, adults try every trick in the book to turn Pinocchio into a child who listens to them.

Set in Italy under a fascist regime

Another major feature of del Toro's Pinocchio is that it is set against the backdrop of the totalitarian regime under Mussolini.

In such a social climate, the people surrounding Pinocchio are depicted as living under totalitarianism, constantly following something.

The Commonality Between Totalitarianism and "Death"

The Destination of "Obey": Totalitarianism

While watching this movie, there is a word that comes up very often. That word is "obey."

In this film, Pinocchio starts off being told he must obey his father, Geppetto, and is required to "obey" in various situations.

And I think the totalitarian regime that serves as the setting for Pinocchio can be called the ultimate state of that.

Totalitarianism is a system that forces individuals to identify with a totality such as "the state," "the nation," or "a great cause."

It demands "obey" for the sake of this identification.

And at the end of thorough "obeying" lies the complete exclusion of anything different, which can also be called the death of the "individual."

The Aspect of "Death" as a Return to the Whole

And "death" itself also has properties similar to totalitarianism.

As the expression "returning to the earth" suggests, when you die, you lose your outline as an individual and dissolve into the whole. In the sense of identifying with the whole, it shares aspects with totalitarianism.

However, while totalitarianism is about trying to make things integrate into a small world like "the state," "the nation," or "a great cause," "death" is a path toward being integrated into something larger that transcends human wisdom, such as nature, the world, or the universe.

And since no one had an outline as an individual before they were born, death can also be called a path to returning to the state before birth, to the whole.

The Monster as a Savior

Pinocchio might not have much of a monster image, but if you look at interviews with director del Toro, I think del Toro's Pinocchio is depicted as a kind of monster.

The following is what director del Toro said about monsters in an interview regarding "The Shape of Water."

In other words, a monster is a being that confronts us with the truth of "as it is," which is why it is feared, disliked, or persecuted as something alien.

And the power to confront us with the truth of "as it is" and remain an alien existence is a force that works in the opposite vector to totalitarianism, which seeks to be homogeneous, and to death.

In short, it is a force directed toward "life."

The monster depicted by director del Toro is a mass of that power, and while it is a being feared by people, it also becomes a savior that gives them the power to live.

The common ground between love and "life"

Geppetto's realization

Initially, Geppetto hoped that Pinocchio would be a replacement for his lost son, and he struggled with Pinocchio, who was a troublesome existence that confronted him with the truth of "as it is."
As a result, Pinocchio, not wanting to be a burden to Geppetto, left home, and the two were separated.

Geppetto went on a journey to find Pinocchio.
The line he said when he finally held Pinocchio in his arms again was this.

At the end of his long journey, Geppetto realizes that he loves Pinocchio not as a replacement for his lost son, nor as a "good boy" who obeys his father, but for Pinocchio himself, who confronts him with the truth of "as it is."

What it truly means to "live"

If "death" is the path to returning to the whole, then "life" is the opposite: the path of pursuing being an "individual" and being "as one is."

However, "death" is both a path to returning to the whole and a part of the "as it is" nature of "life."

And love, by being liberated from conditions (obeying) and acknowledging each other's "life" as it is, gently accepts even "death."

At the end of the story, Pinocchio spent the time that followed with Geppetto and his friends, each in their own way.

And Pinocchio, having watched Geppetto and his friends reach the end of their lives one by one, sets off on a journey somewhere else again.

The final narration of the story is truly beautiful.

We live as we are, and in the end, through death, we return to the state before we were born, back into the whole.

And because death exists, we exist within a grand cycle where new life is born again.
If that is the case, couldn't we say that just as the beauty of living as one is, the resulting death is also beautiful?

To live as myself with all my might, and in the end, to decay and return to the earth.
I truly felt that I want to live a life like that.

From Pinocchio to Frankenstein!
My anticipation for the next work is growing✨

And regarding the relationship between Pinocchio and Frankenstein, the director himself mentioned the following in an interview about Pinocchio:

Even in interviews for films other than Pinocchio, the director often mentions Frankenstein, which shows just how special the existence of Frankenstein is to him.

The 'Frankenstein' film scheduled for release on Netflix in November!!
That is also a must-watch.

And I would like to write another analysis after watching it😊

🎬Netflix film 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio'

📚Introduction to related articles

I finally managed to write the article on Del Toro's 'Frankenstein'!

✏️Here is the main blog post
Del Toro's 'Frankenstein' is a story where the monster created 'humans' | My movie analysis as an AC x HSP

👇Here is the 'afterword' style note article

🗒️I also write analysis articles on other Netflix works

📖I also write movie analyses and more on my blog version 'Slow🌱growth'.

My anime analysis as an AC x HSP | Thinking about 'Takopi's Original Sin'

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