Connected to many projects in American cinema after Impossible, the Barcelona director balanced his career between his own cinematic voice and the North American industry. He became a steady voice in both film and television, contributing to milestones in a global landscape. This piece surveys his earlier work and the notable projects that followed, offering a clear view of his evolving craft.
Orphanage (2007)
Four years after his acclaimed short El Hombre Esponja, Bayona directed a feature born from gothic ghost stories. The film marked a shift for Spanish fantasy cinema and helped Belén Rueda become a defining figure in the genre. It favors restraint over frenzy, embracing gothic classicism with a mansion, hidden clues, and a suspenseful atmosphere. Bayona adds modern terror elements that elevate the mood without losing the story’s quiet intensity. The work earned the Goya Award for Best New Director. Guillermo del Toro, who had already influenced the genre with The Devil’s Backbone, served as executive producer, further situating the film within a lineage of haunting, well-crafted ghost stories.
Impossible (2012)
Belén Atienza, the producer behind Bayona’s films, encountered the extraordinary real-life tale of María Belón, a Madrid native who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with her family. This true incident became the foundation for Impossible, a title that blends incredulity with an undeniable sense of reality. On screen, Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor portray a couple facing an overwhelming force. Bayona, directing with the weight of a disaster, crafts a narrative focused on loneliness, endurance, and the slow, hopeful process of reunification in the aftermath of catastrophe.
Penny Dreadful (2014)
Bayona directed the first two episodes of the initial season of Penny Dreadful, a Showtime series created by John Logan. The show revisits Victorian London through a rich tapestry of literary and cinematic allusions. A British explorer (Timothy Dalton) confronts supernatural threats, joined by an American gunslinger (Josh Hartnett), a psychic (Eva Green), and a scientist. The ensemble includes characters reminiscent of Frankenstein and other gothic figures. The series intertwines Dr. Jekyll, Mina Harker, Dracula, Van Helsing, and Renfield, weaving a mythic web that echoes classic horror while forging its own modern rhythm.
A Monster Calls (2016)
Returning to a mother-child core, this film follows a 12-year-old boy who confronts a difficult life after his parents separate. He must balance caring for a cancer-stricken mother with the weight of family secrets and the fragile shelter he seeks from a looming monster. The young Lewis MacDougall leads a story backed by strong production values and performances from Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, and Liam Neeson, all contributing to a tone that blends authoritative storytelling with fantastical elements.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
As a longtime admirer of Spielberg, Bayona stepped into the Jurassic Park universe by directing the fifth film in the series. He respects the franchise’s DNA while infusing it with his own gothic sensibility, combining adventure, horror, and humor. The production was immense, yet Bayona maintained a clear artistic vision aided by the indispensable cinematographer Óscar Faura. The project demonstrated how a director can honor a beloved franchise while imprinting a distinctive visual cadence on the proceedings.