Wise, superbly acted, and gorgeously put together, all of these apply to Nightmare Alley. In a world where remakes are more in vogue than needed, Guillermo del Toro shows us how it's done. A sumptuous tale of a man's rise and fall guarantees some spectatorial pleasure, but having both Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett in the same film (plus unsung genius Toni Collette and all-round-favorite Willem Dafoe) pushes us into talent overload, in the best possible way. In addition to its thrilling plot and studded cast, Nightmare Alley is also psychologically literate enough to make a carnival out of the human soul. It's no surprise that in 2022, it got four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture where it certainly would have had my vote.

Originally a novel and a 1947 black-and-white film, Nightmare Alley already had a special place in the canon of American cinema. Then came Guillermo del Toro, who rewrote the book. The Mexican director's fantastical touch not only updated the film so it fits more modern sensibilities (like giving women bigger roles), but it also brought to the surface qualms of the human psyche that lay latent in previous versions of the story. A richer, more textured screenplay let the characters explore the darkest corners of their soul, and as a direct consequence, the carnival and the 'freaks' were no longer simply monstrous. Del Toro made a new, more substantial film out of the source material, one where Cooper and Blanchett can reign supreme.