Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – 8.5/10 – Dark, gritty mesh of realism and fantasy
PAN’S LABYRINTH is a dark fantasy drama from Mexico by esteemed director (and writer) Guillermo del Toro. This film takes place after the Spanish Civil War, when fascist Francisco Franco won the conflict and his Nationalist forces took over Spain. But that sets the atmosphere and conditions; this is not quite a war movie. The dark realism of the real world melts into the magical fantasy of a fairy tale. Although the two stories could be separated, they mesh well together. Reality with fantasy, fact with fiction, dark with light, corrupt with pure, and fear with hope. I had no real expectations, and the first half hour appeared uncertain. The plot appeared clear, but I wasn’t sure how it would become a fantasy until later. Part of the issue was my failure to grasp the myriad metaphors and messages. It’s undoubtedly an intelligent script and filming with layers and meaning behind the intricate details. However, it might take multiple watches to appreciate the nuances that went into it. The film is dark, gritty, and violent, something Del Toro is famous for.
In 1944, a ten-year-old girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), travels with her pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) to stay with her stepfather, the ruthless Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Vidal is one of Franco’s officers, a sadist and vicious torturer, waging war against revolutionary rebels fighting for democracy in the nearby forest. Ofelia’s mother is also ill from her complicated pregnancy. Within that story, Guillermo del Toro brings together a fantasy story. A fairy meets Ofelia and takes her to meet an ancient faun (half-human and half-goat being) in the labyrinth. The faun tells her she is a reincarnation of an ancient princess and offers her three tasks to reclaim her old life as a princess.
From a technical perspective, this film is innovative in its cinematography and effects. The film had magnificent visuals, solid acting, a fitting score, outstanding directing, and a script. Del Toro does a decent job of bringing the fantasy to life through the grand set designs. The story is well-crafted and details receive ample attention. I can’t say enough about the child actor Ivana Baquero. Her performance was sensational. For films such as these, you may expect heavy CGI usage, but they kept it to a minimum. I believe he could have further explored and developed the fantasy elements. The ending, while sensible, felt strangely abrupt.
Some interesting trivia tidbits I found. Del Toro had been working on PAN’S LABYRINTH for years before he left his notes in the cab. The cab driver tracked him down and returned the notes to him. Otherwise, this film’s production would not have happened. Del Toro wrote the English subtitles himself to prevent any translation errors. Del Toro gave up his full salary to make this film, even though he had offers for more money from Hollywood studios. He preferred making the film his way without constraints or forced changes. Baquero, who plays Ofelia, was only eleven years old during filming. This film received 6 Oscar nominations and won three for cinematography, art direction, and makeup.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I’d recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy films. While the film has multiple intense scenes of brutal violence, its overall impact is memorable and effective. It’s not a family-friendly fantasy, but I didn’t think it was vulgar. The torture scenes happened off-screen, but there was killing and shooting. The English subtitles are easy to follow. My rating is 8.5/10.
*Any trivia facts were obtained from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/name information from Wiki
