Theme: Magical Realism

Magical Realism began as a label applied to a grouping of Latin American writers. It is a form of fantasy rooted in the everyday where elements of the fantastical are interwoven in a naturalistic manner. Elements are usually ones that appear in Light Fantasy – ghosts, wishes and curses, clairvoyance, miracles, deities, the appearance of angels.

There have been a number of Magical Realist works to emerge from South America, although these are far outnumbered by US-made ones adapting works or copying the Latin American style. Magical Realism can also be applied to a certain brand of frothy romantic comedy or whimsy where such elements are interwoven. There are a surprising number of these films about magical cooking.

Magical Realism can also be applied to works that offer ethnographic depiction of various cultures that have a magical worldview. Here the elements of the culture – spirits, deities, demonic forces, native magic and creation myths – are interwoven as an accepted part of the characters’ belief system and are given literal depiction on screen.