Possession (2021)

This highly anticipated film by Guillermo del Toro is adapted from the well-known and beloved 19th-century tale by Mary Shelley, which is often considered the first sci-fi novel.

In the 19th century, the exchange across continents had already become common in the areas of merchandise, science, and culture. In the film, the journey of Victor Frankenstein defying death gained inspiration from the Eastern energy system that is named ‘Qi’ and the lymphatic system being studied by Muslim scholars. The historical fantasies set in Europe need to choose to what extent of detail they will depict different cultures. Latino actor Oscar Isaac played Victor Frankenstein, a member of the aristocracy in Europe. Outside of mentioning Vienna and Edinburgh, this film doesn’t discuss the potential different influence from various academias and sociopolitical conditions as explicitly as the origin story. However, the continuation and waning of the Crimean War provided the necessary resource, the corpses, for Frankenstein’s research and also urged him forward in terms of the impending end of funding from ammunition dealing, which was later on revealed not to be the truth.

The more intriguing aspect is in Victor’s upbringing. Victor blamed his mother’s unexpected demise on his father’s hatred towards her and incompetence as a renowned physician. Victor was suspicious of his father’s despite for him and his mother, detesting their dark hair and quiet nature, favoring his joyous and blonde younger brother. Victor shares a strong bond and love with her mother, speaking in their own language. Even though elusively, the love and hate about lineage and bloodline are in the soil that fostered Victor’s desire to conquer death.