Who’s the monster now?

"Frankenstein" by Guillermo del Toro, 2025. 

(Spoiler alert for those who have not watched Frankenstein. Watch it, it's amazing.)

I recall a poem on Instagram that said, “Let Death be kinder than man” with a bunch of animated pictures of different animals about to die from man’s intentional or unintentional cruelty. For example, a deer crossing the road at night while car lights rapidly approach, a mouse stuck on a glue trap, a pig waiting to be slaughtered… you get the idea.

Just last night, while watching Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, that line popped into my head.

In the movie, Victor's son, "the monster" could never meet Death. At the beginning of its life, you wonder as a viewer if the monster even has a soul. Some characters wonder that too. And as the movie progresses, you realize it does have a soul. It is no longer a something, but a someone - a someone who cannot die. The monster, portrayed by Jacob Elordi, was pure innocence, just like any newborn; however, quickly enough, the world turned cruel to him. Victor and other people would only see him as a “monster, the Devil's creation, a sin to life”… and would punish him for being who he was. The creature was afraid and remained isolated for a long time to protect himself, until he became friends with a wise blind old man. Thanks to the old man, the creature learned to read and speak eloquently, becoming more intelligent. Later on, he seeks out Victor to ask him one thing: a companion. To my interpretation, a companion would understand him; while other people’s pain is temporary, his would remain forever and stay restless. Victor refuses his request, and as the story goes on, the creature’s only wish is to die. Again, his request cannot be fulfilled, and so his only option left is to live the life he was given, whether he wanted it or not. It was a bittersweet and interpretative ending. To me, the main message from the movie was to accept the cards we were dealt and make the best of them.

The creature did experience love momentarily through Elizabeth - Victor's brother's fiancée. He was held gently by her and understood. Only she saw his sweet, pure, and uncorrupted soul. I absolutely loved her caring personality. Just like her, I thought of all the things I too would do to console the creature and protect him. Many people on social media - especially women - felt the same way as me: overprotective. It seemed unfair how the world mistreated him, for something so absurd such as his appearance. When the movie was over, it didn’t take me long to realize that this fictional creature I wished to care for and protect represents all the mistreated animals looked down upon in my reality. Only then did I feel empowered to do something about it, which is one of the reasons I am writing today. That’s the true power of good cinema: it can inspire you to change something about your life, challenge the way you think, or push you into new perspectives - but you have to allow it first.

The creature made me think about the voiceless beings in my world. I witness every day, either through my screen or in my surroundings, how many pure and innocent lives suffer in the broken world we live in. When I watched the creature chained, I thought of all the chained animals (literally and figuratively) who might never experience love, compassion, or peace in their lifetime. It's hard to imagine, but some are born to suffer, just like cows bred for meat, a baby chimpanzee growing up in a zoo, dogs forced to produce litter after litter of puppies, etc. Just like the creature was screaming Victor’s name when he needed him the most, the animals in this world are screaming too for help every minute of the day. And yet, just like Victor, many people choose to ignore them.

I realized how merciless life (or more accurately, man) can be for some animals, and even for people. That’s when the poem “Let Death be kinder than man” came back to me. I never thought I'd say this, but the movie made me appreciate death in a way I’ve never felt before. In moments when I’m frustrated that I cannot do much to save those animals, I can only hope Death carries these souls with gentleness and compassion, like Elizabeth did with the creature. Of course, the idea is not to sit around waiting for a miracle to happen or for a hero to magically save them all. Why can’t we be that miracle those animals so desperately long for?

The creatures that accompany us in our reality have been misunderstood for centuries. More recently, people are beginning to see their beauty and their role in this world. I hope more people can see them the way Elizabeth does - with fascination and wonder. The world has behaved long enough like Victor.