Review of Pan's Labyrinth (2006) by Fritz F — 23 Dec 2014

Pan's Labyrinth is a film that is quite abundant in magic, but in a dark and suitably mature context. You could compare it to Alice in Wonderland in terms of surreality, but in my opinion, this film is what Alice in Wonderland would be like if it were rooted in a deathly serious tone.

The plot alternates between the alluring fantasy of the labyrinth, and the grim reality of Francoist Spain. Until the very end of the film, both worlds seem equally dark, and this film does very well to try and juggle the two worlds together.

Aside from the beautifully dark visuals, the film's biggest strength, perhaps, is its ability to establish a sense of mood, and this makes it easy for the viewer to believe that the film is going a certain way.

For example, the final scenes of the film had me believing that the film was a bitter ending (which I actually would have welcomed), so the relatively positive ending came as quite a surprise. The performances helped the film's overall mood significantly, and I find that it was very easy for me to engage with the characters, although I find that many of the real world characters were unlikable, which I think may have been intended by the writers to establish the real world as a truly horrible place.

It presents a vision of fantasy wrapped in horror and drama, yet with a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a very intriguing and artistic adventure filled with real emotion, and that by itself more than worth watching.