Beyond his attention to aesthetic detail, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has a way of imbuing objects with meaning through their relationships with characters. The most minute, diegetic details become part of the story and play vital roles in the manifestation of character actions and destiny. Nothing in his films are ever done without thoughtful reason or purpose. Del Toro’s use of objects is a meaningful way by which we can explore this mode of mise en scène.
In a video essay by Little White Lies, a breakdown concerning the most important objects and their relationships in del Toro’s pictures is given thoughtful analysis. Throughout his filmography, del Toro infuses time as a major theme and key to understanding characters. “Pan’s Labyrinth” introduces our main villain with a shot of a watch, later revealing its owner to be the fascist Captain Vidal. Unable to let go of the watch and the meaning it bestows in his life, Vidal succumbs to his limited time on earth and does not die as his father did, on the battlefield. Time, again, rears its worth in “Cronos.” Used thematically and in the set design, time eludes Jesus Gris in his tortured search for eternal life.
Although del Toro’s use of time precedes many of his films’ premise, it is the objects that not only bear thematic meanings but also demonstrate a separation between our hero and villain. “Crimson Peak” instills its hero and villain with objects that separate them in meaning, use, and how they were received. Edith is given a pen by her father, a loving gift to support her writing; her passion. Lucille, in contrast, wears a ring torn from her mother. It is a malicious reminder of the past. Both objects are shown to detail how the stories of each respective character will pan out without revealing anything beyond their meaning. In “The Devil’s Backbone,” del Toro again uses images to differentiate his characters, but in the way objects in the setting are treated and handled. We can tell much from a character by how they treat the world around them. Carelessly, we don’t think of these things beyond face value, but the life of an object can tell much though it may not have a voice.