Pan's Labyrinth
In a world of remakes, sequels and “see it one minute forget it the next” films it is refreshing to find a film of substance, a film with a solid story that doesn’t need to rely on bells and whistles to entertain, a film that has it right. That film is El Laberinto Del Fauno, or Pan’s Labyrinth.
Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Mimic and the fabulously chilling The Devil’s Backbone) Pan’s Labyrinth is set in Spain in 1944 and tells the story of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a 12 year-old girl who has gone with her very pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), in the countryside. Although Ofelia’s mother tries to make it sound like a holiday the reality is far from rosy, with the sadistic Captain Vidal having been assigned to the area to oversee the eradication of a Republican militia.
Socially isolated, without companions her own age and despised by her stepfather, Ofelia spends her time reading fairy-tales, much to Vidal’s disgust. Close to the camp is an ancient labyrinth and in it Ofelia meets it’s keeper, the faun Pan (Doug Jones). Pan tells Ofelia that she is actually a princess from a magical realm and in order to gain re-entry to it she must complete three tasks.
While on the surface and indeed in the trailer this may seem like your regular fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth is far from that. It is a dark, moving and technically exquisite modern fairytale that lives with you and in you for not just its two hour running time but for days after. Del Toro is a master of the imagination and with this film (which is Mexico’s nominee in the Academy Awards this year) he has created a wonderful example of what is possible to achieve in film.
Even though the story is the true star of Pan’s Labyrinth one cannot deny its fabulous special effects, this is a fairytale after all. All of the different elements (computer generated, costumes, special make-up FX and set design) blend to bring Del Toro’s vision to life. However, these elements alone don’t make a whole and the film also owes a debt to its wonderful cast. 12 year-old Ivana Baquero hints at experience well beyond her years, Doug Jones (who played Abe Sapien in Del Toro’s Hell Boy and is soon to be seen as comic hero Silver Surfer) creates depth in a character who could have easily become just another movie monster and Sergi Lopez’s Captain Vidal is one of the most evil villains to grace screens in a long time.
A film like this, with all of its technical and emotional demands could have easily fallen apart in less astute hands. Yet Del Toro manages to keep everything in control, balancing the film’s fantasy sequences with those in the real world so that both remain equally as interesting to the audience, not an easy thing to do in a film such as this.
Although a fairy-tale this film is not for children or the squeamish, it is dark and very violent (the sequence with the Pale Man is truly heart-pounding). However, don’t let that dissuade you, this is a remarkable film and has topped countless ‘best of’ lists for a reason. Simply a must see.
