![[Fantasia 2022 Review] MY GRANDFATHER’S DEMONS](https://www.nightmarishconjurings.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/my-grandfathers-demons.jpg)
Rosa (Victoria Guerra) works for a micromanaging company that relies on a high level of gamification to motivate and control its employees. Our heroine strives for the coveted title of “Golden Pig,” the supposed top tier of the company’s arbitrary ranking system. But despite any achievements, more work appears, and the standards become raised, which makes success impossible. The only thing which could finally pull Rosa off this sped-up treadmill called life is the death of her beloved grandfather, Marcelino (Antonio Duraes). Raised by the man, Rosa adored him but drifted away once entering her teen years.
Even though the two did not talk for a long time, Marcelino left his granddaughter all of his possessions and quite a bit of land in the country. As a way to reconnect with her late grandfather (and take a break from work), Rosa returns to the countryside, and her life visually transitions as soon as she steps onto her grandfather’s property. In the first fifteen minutes or so, the animation presents very clean and simple drawings with almost washed-out colors. Think of those filters which intend to remove wrinkles or any signs of age from photos, but instead erase all defining features of a person’s face.
But then the director uses a beautiful transition as the cartoonish appearance changes to stop motion animation. Taking on the clay qualities of many beloved movies from our youth, the story now takes on a more nostalgic feeling as Rosa returns to her childhood home and belongings. The film takes on a completely different texture as every detail now stands out. The movement and definition of each strand of hair, every flower, and even the individual leaves make their presence known, and add to this very vibrant and beautiful world.
When reminiscing about her past, Rosa often envisions herself as a featureless wooden carving of a girl, and her grandfather exists as a horned creature with four arms. These monstrous figures resemble the young Rosa’s toys, which serve as appropriate surrogates to feature in the grown woman’s memories. And in addition, these figures also physically represent the two family members. Rosa looks unfinished with very little in the ways of defining characteristics because even as an adult she struggles to distinguish herself. At work, she is a ridiculous caricature, and in her hometown, people look at her and cannot see anything but their hatred for Rosa’s grandfather.
This also connects with the reasoning behind depicting Grandfather as a demon-like monster. Despite the love of his granddaughter, the elderly patriarch is actually the villain of this story. In her memories, Grandfather seems like a sweet old man who couldn’t adapt to his only granddaughter becoming an adult. When in reality Marcelino is akin to Montgomery Burns from “The Simpsons” and his plot to block out the sun.
Fueled by jealousy and animosity, Marcelino long ago decided to punish every living thing in this small community. And now decades later, his selfish actions still control every inch of the town. So, now we must embark on a very honest character journey as Rosa struggles to finally put an end to her grandfather’s hatred. Combining aspects of folklore with absolutely gorgeous visuals, MY GRANDFATHER’S DEMONS explores a touching story of learning how to heal and forgive.
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