This review was made possible by Popped recieving an advanced screener of I Am Frankelda.
Billed as a prequel to 2021’s Frankelda’s Book of Spooks, Arturo and Roy Ambriz return with I Am Frankelda, the first Mexican film made entirely in stop-motion. The film dives into the backstory behind the eccentric and ecstatic Frankelda, a glimmering apparition of an author just dying to share her tales of the macabre with any willing ear. Alongside her, her darling Herneval, an enchanted book floating alongside her. The film is a sprawling and ornate, a love letter to the horror genre and the power of artistry and creativity that burns within us all. I Am Frankelda is a spectacle to be seen and hopefully not the last to be seen from the Ambriz brothers.
Diving Into Fiction
The film opens by introducing us to two opposing realms, the world of humans on earth and the world of fiction within Topus Terrentus, a nightmarish plane where what goes bump in the night festers. The desires and dreams of an aspiring young author lie within Francisca Imelda. Francisca spent her time with her mother writing away just anything that came to her mind, usually something along the lines of horror. After her mother dies, she is left in the care of her scornful grandmother, who detested the idea of her being an author, let alone a writer of such frights.
Fracisca’s story mirrors that of the mother of science fiction, Mary Shelley, with her serving as an homage to the famed author and facing similar creative challenges. Both faced scrutiny and disapproval from not just family, but from their communities for their interests in their writing, and in the nightmares.
Off the bat, the film can be dense, working quickly to establish its settings and build out this vast and rich world. It can be a lot to take in at first, but alongside the characters, you learn to understand the rules of this world and how Topus Terrentus feeds off the fears of the mortal world through producing nightmares. As the realm begins to grow weaker and weaker, Hernaval takes matters into his own hands to find a new master of nightmares and save the surreal that he calls him.
In its runtime, its ability to world-build is quite remarkable. A rocky start quickly lands the film on its feet and takes its audience on a frightful journey, doing so at times through intricate musical numbers, each getting bolder than the previous. Mireya Mendoza brings Francisca to life with both a fantastic voice and musical performance. Alongside Mendoza is Luis Leonardo Suárez as the arachnid master of nightmares, Procustes and Arturo Mercado Jr. as the avian royal Herneval.
Daring Designs
To take on the task of animation with stop-motion is to spit into the face of god. It is to say “I have no fear.” The Ambriz brothers might just be a few tiers above that. I Am Frankelda features some of the most elaborate, ornate, and beautiful armature puppets. These outlandish and eccentric designs just help bring this world together in such an energetic way. The film features such a wide variety of unique ghouls and beings.
Each puppet is completely and totally singular, that feature their own intricate details and quirks. Frankelda and Herneval alone were enough to get me interested, but the film just keeps going and going and introducing these fantastic machinations. Whether it be Procustes’ large arachnid movements, the flight of Herneval or the woodland sprite, a frolicking flesh goblin and his teeny tiny goat mount, even a siren with a flowing tail and a floating coyote skull and its ever-flowing iridescent cloak. The artists work incredibly hard to bring these creatures to life and do so by breathing such an authenticity into each of their identities to make them feel so alive.
Of course, this is all brought to another level with the film’s musical numbers. A handful of stunning sequences, each more impressive than the last. Particularly one towards the end that manages to weave between stop motion puppetry and a series of painted portraits. This film is a mixed media heaven that feels as if it’s always looking for a new way to push its limits.
Beyond the characters, even the settings feel alive. As previously mentioned, this film has a lot of moving parts. Parts of this movie move that you did not even think could but they find a way to make that happen. The only drawback to this is, yes, the film continuously evolves and grows more and more complex with the more it introduces, at times so much can be happening on screen that it can be a bit overwhelming, and it becomes difficult to fully understand everything happening in front of you. For most of the film, they do have a good balance, but closer to the end of the film, it becomes apparent just how much they’re juggling.
Your Viewing Pleasure
I Am Frankelda, being a prequel film to the series may turn some people away, not wanting to commit to a series just to watch a film, but fear not. Frankelda does not need any prior knowledge of the show to enjoy. That may be easy to deduce simply by the film being a prequel, but that is not always the case. You need not know a lick about this world before diving in, offering a viewer-friendly entry into this delightfully freaky world of fiction and nightmares.
Another fear may come from the film being entirely in Spanish, which for many isn’t an issue, but of course, dubbing v subtitling continues to be a tumultuous conversation. Please do yourself a favor and completely and totally ignore that English dub.
On a first watch, no dub was available; no problem. Returning to the screener just a few days later, miraculously, it began playing in English and for a few minutes I didn’t notice, but quickly realized how much less enthusiastic these characters sound. The Spanish-speaking performers just give such incredible voice performances, so much more emotional and spirited performances. The English dub is so drab and dull, not to mention just way too fast. These lines are just carelessly read into a microphone with no care for the material.
Final Thoughts
If this is just the beginning of what artists and animators in Mexico have to offer, then the future of stop-motion and puppetry is in great hands. Films and stories like this are the perfect catalyst to continue inspiring creatives to come. I Am Frankelda is nothing short of fantastic. A stop-motion spectacle that continues to push the boundaries of the medium. Its mixed media approach to bringing this world to life is stunning. I Am Frankelda is one that honors the spirit of artistry, animation, and the horror genre. It looks to break the arbitrary bounds put on the genre works to remind you that the best stories can come from the most unlikely of places.
I Am Frankelda releases on Netflix on June 12. Check out the trailer below!
