Review 15: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

One of my favorite aspects of film is being able to enjoy the visuals. Movies with subtitles scare me as I feel like I may miss something vital to the story or miss some of the visuals that help show the story. So, that concern has kept me away from far too many films I hear are great and I’m hoping to get into more foreign films as the year progresses. Pan’s Labyrinth, which has an 8.2 out of 10 stars on IMDB and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, is written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and features the creature acting ability of Doug Jones, a regular in del Toro flicks.

Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, moves with her pregnant mother, Ariadna Gil, to live with her step father, a military captain in a fort in Spain. She escapes the horrors of the real world in fantasy books, but not long after arrive she finds a possible escape as a Faun (Doug Jones) tells her she is lost prince and can return to her father’s realm if she can complete three tasks. Mercedes, played by Maribel Verdu, has earned the trust of young Ofelia and tells Mercedes about her fantastic meeting, which Mercedes offers a warning about Faun’s. Ofelia is torn between two worlds that both frighten her, but her hope of the fantastic leads her down the path of journey and dangers.

As is normal for del Toro’s films, Pan’s Labyrinth is beautiful and frightening at the same time. The Faun and Pale man are brought to life by Doug Jones fantastic creature acting and the world is immersive. The cinematography is strong as always, and del Toro rally makes use of the plastic cut as we cut back and forth between parallel events. The scene where Ofelia goes into the tree to hunt the giant toad that is slowly killing it is matched with the Captain pursuing the rebels in the woods. Both the Captain and Ofelia are on the hunt, but we only hope for Ofelia to succeed. The cuts are great a moving the story along.

It is an odd thing as the movie runs at just under two hours, but is able to fill very full and rich with story. It seems longer than it is, and that isn’t an insult to the film. It is a big story that has hope and fear for our man character. The plight of Ofelia is one most people can easily get behind. We hope for her to find her fairy tale home and escape the harsh world she is currently living in. The Faun offers that fantastical hope, but Mercedes offers a much darker version of hope to Ofelia as well.

Pan’s Labyrinth does a wonderful job of telling two stories that are intriguing while showing stunning visuals and magnificent creatures. I’m very glad I finally watched this film as it is a great example of del Toro’s film making ability. I give Pan’s Labyrinth 8 out of 10 fairies.