Geometria

Starring: Fernando Garcia Marin, Guadalupe Del Toro, Napo, Rodrigo Mora
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Horror, Thriller
Length: 17 minutes
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boy summons a demon because he's tired of failing his geometry classes.

Review:

Tim: I can't think of another early short film that more accurately captures the style and tone of a director than Geometria and Guillermo del Toro. This is the second short film of del Toro's that has been released (I've read this is the 10th he directed, but the others were never released). For us, it's the second oldest film of his we have. For that reason, it's fascinating to watch.

The movie is everything we've come to expect from a del Toro film. It's absolutely strong on the horror elements and it features del Toro's trademarked gruesomeness. He never shies away from body horror or blood and we get a good deal of that here. My wife was in the room while I watched this short and she couldn't even look at the screen (she's not a horror fan). The short is definitely gruesome, but it also features some irreverent humor, a lightness that del Toro also brings to his darkest films.

I thought the story was excellent, in hindsight. It's a 9 minute film, so it's quick, but I imagine the source material, Fredric Brown's short story, "Naturally" is quite strong. While watching the film, I didn't quite get it. Why would a boy summon a demon because he was failing geometry? It didn't make a lot of sense. It finally does at the end, in a hilarious and brilliant twist. The whole movie is really a set up for that. It's cute and funny, which is a nice contrast to the horrifying makeup and visuals that del Toro fills most of the film with.

I watched the director's cut of the film, which had a new musical score. Even this version, though, shows how low quality the film as a whole was. I don't blame del Toro for this- it looks pretty good for the budget it had. But, there's nothing sleek or refined about this. It looks low quality. The voices seemed slightly off. Guillermo del Toro would eventually direct some big, stylish films, but this is a fairly inauspicious beginning. The makeup and gruesome effects are impressive for a film this small, though. Still, it's worth seeing del Toro's humble beginnings here.

Overall, I enjoyed the film. It felt representative of del Toro and it helped me understand him even better as a filmmaker. The short's conclusion is wonderful and really funny. This is an entertaining short and it was well worth my time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A



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