Newsletter #1 Frankenstein was about fatherhood al along

Heyyyy,

Welcome to the first (and hopefully not last) newsletter!

Recently I got to make a film review for a fun project at Lichthuis Zwolle. It is a Riso newspaper highlighting the personal stories in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Zwolle city, the Dieze-wijk.

It’s full of great stories, recipes and my review! To check it out go Lichthuis Zwolle to get your own personal copy :)

I also got to make an illustration for Art & Type magazine! The theme for this issue was keepsake.

“keepsake”—think scrappy wall art, journals, foraging for materials—and what it might mean in an artistic, cultural, and or personal context.

My illustration was about my connection to the language of my grandfather and mother. My mom is both Iranian and Dutch and used to speak Dutch, English and Farsi. When she got older she lost the ability to speak Farsi but words still remain in her vocabulary.

Curious what that looks like? You can order the zine here! The profits get donated to charity, Past issues have benefited the Lower Eastside Girls Club in Manhattan and Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona.

Victor and the creature

Frankenstein was about fatherhood al along

by Tota de Heer, translated to English for the purpose of this newsletter

This film is perhaps the first adaptation of Frankenstein that portrays the creature as I had imagined it in the book. Not a dumb, green, and clumsy monster, but a being that struggles with an unsolicited life and a creator who doesn't dare to look at what he has made.

The book has several themes, but the film chooses to foreground the story of parenthood. Victor Frankenstein has been made somewhat older for this purpose than his 20-year-old book appearance.

And he is not only the maker and god to the creature but also a father figure. He has done everything possible to create life where there was none before, but in doing so he hasn't thought further about what follows creation.

So the creature lives! And like most babies he is learning about the world for the first time. Every experience is new; the sun and his first word, the name of his maker, are monumental. But after that, the development seems to shifts from external to internal.

Victor Frankenstein is disappointed. And falls into patterns he has inherited from his own father, a strict and cold man for whom he has little affection. It shows a harrowing succession of old cycles.

The film director Guillermo del Toro, also known from films like: The Shape of Water, Hellboy and my favorite Pan’s Labyrinth, has talked in interviews about his motivations for making this film. He is a lifelong Mary Shelley and Frankenstein fan, and this was clearly a project he has worked toward in his life. The theme of parenthood in the film stems partly from his own anxieties about fatherhood. He poses himself the question: have I been a good father?

And in Viktor and the creature we see this question play out. The ending of the film leans heavy towards forgiveness between parent and child. In this act the monsters (yes both of them) have a chance to regain humanity.

I went to see this film with my mom and little brother and in the car back my mom asked us; Who do you still need to forgive in your life?

Mom throws questions like this at us from time to time. And I admit I didn't know what to answer. No one can choose their parents and sometimes that goes well and sometimes it doesn't. I've been lucky enough to end up in the good category. Does this mean I'll never have to forgive them for anything? Who knows.

But for now what I want to say is watch Frankenstein! And if you can, do it in the cinema, the visuals are worth it. And before I go I would like to emphasize the breathtaking costumes in the film and the wonderful acting performances of the cast. Sorry Jacob Elordi, I wasn't aware of your game.