The Celebration of Life and Death in Mexico: A Book of Life Review

By Emmanuel Gundran

     Book of Life (Gutierrez 2014) is an animated film that celebrates Mexican culture and believes in the best of people in the face of hatred and selfishness. The film tells the story of La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), the ruler of the Land of the Forgotten. The two immortal beings bet their realms on two men in the land of the living: Manolo Sanchez (Diego Luna) and Joaquin Mondragon (Channing Tatum). The two of them are smitten for Maria (Zoe Saldana), a girl that they’ve known since they were children. La Muerte bets on Manolo winning Maria’s heart while Xibalba bets on Joaquin winning Maria’s heart. Whoever’s man wins Maria’s heart will rule over both realms of the dead.

La Muerte and Xibalba discussing their bet.

     The film focuses on Manolo Sanchez, one of the two men in love with Maria, who risks life and limb to be with Maria and give her the best that he has. Through Manolo, the film tells a story of never losing hope in the midst of despair, staying true to yourself, and showing love to all, including your enemies. Manolo faces several challenges along the way to winning Maria’s heart, such as poisonous snakes, bull-fighting, and the threat of banishment to the Land of the Forgotten, where he will truly die. While facing these external conflicts, he also faces some internal conflict. As a descendant of bullfighters, Manolo would rather be a musician than be a bullfighter. This causes tension between him and his family, who expect him to be a great bullfighter like his ancestors. However, in the end, he conquers both of these challenges, staying strong through the darkest times and realizing that he does not have to be someone he is not to be someone great. He learns that true strength does not come from brute force and muscle, but from love and mercy toward all people. Instead of brandishing a sword, Manolo brandishes a guitar, and instead of finishing off a bull by the sword, he plays soothing music on his guitar for the bull.

Manolo, about to start his first bullfight.

     Jorge R. Gutierrez, the director of the film, original pitched Book of Life to Guillermo del Toro as a tribute to Mexican culture. The film contains references to Mexican cultural iconography such as the Day of the Dead, the day on November 1st when Mexican friends and families remember their loved ones to keep them alive in their hearts, and La Santa Muerte, the goddess of the death. Del Toro says that, to Gutierrez, the film is “about a celebration of Mexico.” He then adds that other parts of the world influence Mexican culture, thus he and Gutierrez included an international element to the film. “We wanted to make the movie eminently modern, but steeped very particularly in our roots and what the Day of the Dead is about, which is celebrating life, celebrating those that came before us” (Chevat). Thus, the film not only has a story rooted in the Mexican Day of the Dead festival but also includes songs not part of traditional Mexican culture like “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie and “Creep” by Radiohead. The film bringing these parts of Mexican culture into the spotlight for audiences definitely makes it a worthwhile watch for those interested in multicultural perspectives.
​     Though it may not have the same notoriety as a Disney or Dreamworks animated feature, Book of Life (2014) has enough heart and effort to be in league with modern animated films from Disney and Dreamworks.

Manolo meeting his mother in the Land of the Remembered.

Works Cited:

Chevat, Zoe. “Comic-Con Interviews: The Book of Life Will Bring Mexican Folklore to the Big Screen in a Unique Way.” The Mary Sue. 31 July 2014. Accessed 18 Oct. 2016. www.themarysue.com/sdcc-book-of-life-interviews/