Hello dear cinephile friends, today I come to give you your respective dose of nostalgia with this beautiful movie that became a classic of the nineties, and which is being talked about recently because on December 25th Netflix will release a new movie, also based on Roald Dahl's classic, but with some changes that... well, that adapt to today's new standards where they resort to forced inclusion as a way to be more sympathetic to the audience, but anyway, that's another matter, today I want to talk about the 1996 version we all know, the one that most of us grew up with, and made us fantasize about having powers, so without further ado let's talk about Matilda.

Hola queridos amigos cinéfilos, el día de hoy vengo a darles su respectiva dosis de nostalgia con esta preciosa película que se volvió un clásico de los noventa, y de la cuál se está hablando recientemente debido a que el 25 de diciembre Netflix estrenará una nueva película, también basada en el clásico de Roald Dahl, aunque con algunos cambios que... bueno, que se adaptan a los nuevos estándares de hoy en día donde se recurre a la inclusión forzada como una forma de simpatizar más con el público, pero en fin, esa es harina de otro costal, el día de hoy quiero hablarles de la versión 1996 que todos conocemos, con la que la mayoría de nosotros crecimos, y nos hizo fantasear con tener poderes, así que sin más preámbulo hablemos de Matilda.

Although this film is not a faithful copy of Roald Dahl's book, it does keep its essence and in general terms I could say that Danny DeVito (who was the director of the film as well as playing Mr Wormwood) did an excellent job of adaptation. For context (in case any of you haven't seen the film) I'll give you a brief summary of the story. It is about a girl who is mistreated and despised by her own family, but over time she discovers that she is different, as she has developed and perfected certain powers that not only help her to simplify her life, but also to punish injustices.

One of the things I liked most about this film is the script. Wow, what a good job! I like the way it's structured, it makes you don't miss any detail, even though it obviously won't have as many elements as the book since that wouldn't be possible, but the characters keep the same personality as their literary counterparts, really, in every way, without altering anything.

Una de las cosas que más me gustó de este film es el guion ¡Wow! ¡Qué buen trabajo! Me gusta la forma en que está estructurado, hace que no pierdas ningún detalle, a pesar de que evidentemente no tendrá tantos elementos como el libro ya que eso no sería posible, pero los personajes guardan la misma personalidad que sus contrapartes literarias, de verdad, en todos los sentidos, sin alterar nada.

As for the characters, obviously Matilda is my favourite because she has a lot of determination despite being so small, so she goes after what she wants and doesn't rest until she gets it, she is the living example that the environment that surrounds a child is influential but not determinant, this means that, even though she had many possibilities to end up being a good-for-nothing, like the rest of her family, it was her own decisions that guided her to a different way, she just didn't want to be like that. Another thing I love the character for is that even though she obviously has an above average IQ, she never settles for what she's learned, she continues to cultivate her mind to expand her knowledge, she's just brilliant.

I like the scene (and I think everyone does) where Matilda discovers that she does indeed have powers and begins to work hard to perfect them, sometimes she fails but step by step her skills increase, becoming more precise, This sequence is accompanied beautifully by "Little Bitty Pretty Woman" it is exciting to see her happy face while she uses her powers, it is also a special scene because, according to Danny DeVito, Mara Wilson was very embarrassed to dance on the set, so Danny asked everyone who was off camera to dance so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. This scene is also important because it is intended to show us that it is a moment of fulfilment for Matilda, where she really feels at home for the first time, without having to hold back.

This brings us to another scene in particular, where Matilda, by stealing the videotape from the cops, gives her father a chance, proving that she has not only a brilliant mind, but an extraordinary nobility.

Another of my favourite characters is Miss Honey who did her job as a teacher very well, because as soon as she discovered her pupil's mental ability she wanted to do something to help her improve, she realised that she should be at a higher level, unfortunately her efforts were in vain but she had very good intentions, on the other hand I liked the fact that with time, the relationship between the teacher and the pupil became so strong that the teacher tells her how her life was when she was a child, and this allows us to discover that the teacher Honey feels very identified with Matilda.

Otro de mis personajes favoritos es la señorita Miel quien hizo muy bien su trabajo como maestra, debido a que apenas y descubrió la habilidad mental de su alumna quiso hacer algo para ayudarla a mejorar, se dio cuenta de que ella debía estar en un nivel superior, lamentablemente sus esfuerzos fueron en vano pero tuvo muy buenas intenciones, por otra parte me gustó el hecho de que con el tiempo, la relación entre la maestra y la alumna se hizo tan fuerte que la maestra le cuenta como fue su vida cuando era niña, y esto nos permite descubrir que la maestra Miel se siente muy identificada con Matilda.

We can't deny that one of the best scenes in the film is where Mistress Miel and Matilda enter Trunchbull's mansion and she chases them, it's pure adrenaline, the scene is so well done that you feel very scared of the possibility of being caught.

Another scene that I found epic is when Matilda makes Trunchbull believe that Magnus is tormenting her, and this leads me to the scene where Matilda decides to show her powers openly in the school, she does it because she is fed up with the selfish and unhealthy attitude of the headmistress, but she, prey to the demons of her own mind, continues to believe that it is really Magnus (Miss Honey's father) who decided to come back for revenge. The scene is hilarious and satisfying because we as viewers want this woman to get what she deserves, but at the same time it is disturbing and even a little scary, why? I would venture to say that it is the voices of the children reading aloud that makes the scene more disturbing and therefore interesting.

Otra de las escenas que me pareció épica es cuando Matilda le hace creer a Tronchatoro que Magnus la está atormentando, y además esto me lleva a la escena donde Matilda decide mostrar sus poderes abiertamente en el colegio, lo hace porque está harta de la actitud egoísta y malsana de la directora, pero ella, presa de los propios demonios de su mente, continua creyendo que de verdad es Magnus (el padre de la Señorita Miel) quien decidió regresar para vengarse. La escena es hilarante y satisfactoria porque nosotros como espectadores queremos que esta mujer reciba su merecido, pero al mismo tiempo es perturbadora y hasta da un poco de miedo ¿por qué? me atrevería a decir que son las voces de los niños leyendo en voz alta lo que vuelve la escena más inquietante y por lo tanto, interesante.

Matilda's action leads to an uprising by the other students who are not willing to tolerate the attitude of the hateful headmistress any longer, that is undoubtedly epic, and should have taught this villain a great lesson, no matter how small and weak you think someone is, if they have a brilliant mind they can achieve great things, besides, in unity there is strength, a single defenceless child could not even contradict her, but the whole school united was even able to expel her.

In conclusion, it is a wonderful film (in my opinion) plus one of the things I almost forgot to mention is that I loved Mara Wilson's determination, despite the immense pain she felt for the illness and subsequent death of her mother, she continued with the shooting of the film, and it is inevitable not to discover a certain tinge of sadness in her look, something that suited the character, obviously since she was also suffering, although for different reasons. I definitely think it is a film never to be forgotten.

En conclusión, es una película maravillosa (en mi opinión) además una de las cosas que casi olvido mencionar es que amé la determinación de Mara Wilson, a pesar del inmenso dolor que sentía por la enfermedad y posterior muerte de su madre, ella continuó con el rodaje del film, y es inevitable no descubrir cierto matiz de tristeza en su mirada, algo que le sentaba bien al personaje, obviamente ya que también sufría, aunque por razones diferentes. Definitivamente creo que es un film para no olvidar jamás.