Pan's Labyrinth

I got a chance to take in Pan's Labyrinth tonight. Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, this is Mexico's Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award nomination. I have been hearing rave reviews about it and have been looking forward to seeing it.

The film is a strange mix of historical drama and fantasy, with some family drama thrown in, but somehow, it all works. The film begins with a voice over narration, and since I will never be able to do it justice, I shall quote straight from the film...."A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning... " The next scene is in northern Spain in 1944, shortly after Franco's victory. A young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) travels with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to meet her mother's new husband, the facist Capitan Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia tells fantastical fairy tales to her unborn brother to calm him down. Ofelia is not very happy in her new home. Her stepfather is a vicious, ruthless killer and ruler, and her mother has fallen ill and is confined to bed rest.


Ofelia is visited by a fairy who beckons her to follow to a labyrinth on the grounds of her new home. She follows the fairy and meets a faun (Doug Jones) who tells her she is a princess from the underworld and he is to help her get back home. She is given a book and told that she has three tasks to perform before the next full moon in order to open the portal to the underworld.

The historical drama part of the film has Ofelia befriending Mercedes (Maribel Verdu), the head of the domestic duties of the household. Mercedes works for the Capitan, but she is also helping the Resistance soldiers on the sly. She is aided by Dr. Ferreiro (Alex Angulo), who is staying at the house to help Carmen. They are encouraged hearing reports that Allied forces are closing in.


I really don't want to give too much away, as the film is so compelling to watch. The two genres of historical drama and fantasy work very well together and seamlessly go back and forth without any jarring disbelief in either plot. A film hasn't drawn me in like this one in a long while. However, it can be rather graphically violent in parts, so be warned that it is disturbing at times. I hesitate to say all that I have, as it might be better to go in knowing as little as possible.

Pan's Labyrinth
8.5/10
Highly Recommended....especially if you love fantasy movies and are sick of the films Hollywood's been churning out lately.
Best line.....can't give it away or I'd ruin an important plot point.

More ramblings to come......