The Devil's Backbone

The Devil's Backbone is a 2001 horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro. It's a Spanish-Mexican work filmed in Spain. A ghost story featuring children and an orphanage in war time, there's plenty of tragic drama here. I was in tears by the end, but The Younger Son sees it as a hopeful movie.

"What is a ghost? A tragedy doomed to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."

Trailer:

Moria calls it "good but never fully satisfying". Slant Magazine gives it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and says it "works both as art-house spooker and political allegory." Roger Ebert calls it "mournful and beautiful". BBC says it's "a superior ghost story/murder mystery which confirms del Toro as a name to watch". Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 91% score.