A tale of a woman’s care, compassion, and connection to a creature

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) takes the familiar story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and turns it into a tale of how people learn to love, how they learn to fear, and how women often become the quiet center of both. The film is filled with horror and sorrow, but beneath all of it is a metaphor about the emotional weight women carry. This is shown most clearly through the character of Elizabeth, whose maternal instinct toward the Creature becomes the movie’s moral compass.

The film hints at this metaphor in subtle but powerful ways. When Elizabeth first speaks to the Creature, she approaches him with calm attention instead of fear. She crouches down, calls him gently, and gives him her name to practice. It is a small scene, but it speaks loudly. It shows how women are often the ones who offer care where others offer control. It also shows how women are expected to be nurturing, even in situations where they receive nothing in return.

When Elizabeth questions Victor’s harsh treatment of the Creature, she challenges him in a room full of men who believe they know better. Her voice is steady, soft, and full of concern. This scene reflects how women are often the first to recognize suffering, even when others ignore it. It shows how emotional work becomes a responsibility placed on women, even in systems built by men.

Her connection to the Creature becomes a metaphor for the roles women fall into without choosing. She becomes the one who soothes, teaches, and protects. The Creature responds to her because she sees him as human long before anyone else does. The tenderness she shows becomes a kind of emotional bridge that Victor never builds. In this way, the film suggests that women often become both the caretakers and the emotional guides for those around them.

One of the most striking scenes is Elizabeth’s final act of compassion. She steps between Victor and the Creature, choosing empathy even in danger. The moment reflects how women often stand in the crossfire of conflicts they did not create. It also shows how their instinct to protect can cost them more than anyone realizes.

These scenes, while brief, shape the entire message of the film. Through Elizabeth, Frankenstein becomes a story about the unseen labor women perform, the emotional care they provide, and the quiet strength they carry even when surrounded by violence and pride. The Creature, with all his scars and longing, becomes a symbol of what happens when a being is given life but not love. Elizabeth becomes the proof that care can change a soul in ways control never will.

The film’s impact comes from this contrast. Victor uses power. Elizabeth uses compassion. The Creature responds to only one of them. And through this, the movie shows that humanity is not created in a lab. It is created in the small acts of care that often fall on women’s shoulders.

Frankenstein (2025) is may be a monster story in a way, but its reflection on womanhood is what lingers. It reminds the audience that the world often leans on women for healing while giving little back. It also shows that even in a dark, violent world, the smallest gesture of kindness can become the thing that saves someone’s soul.