Review of Pan's Labyrinth (2006) by Nesbitt10 — 08 Feb 2013

Acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy", "The Devil's Backbone"), creates one of the most exciting and visually stunning adult-themed fables ever. "Pan's Labyrinth" is one of the cinema's great fantasies--rich with darkness and wonder. It's a fairy tale of such potency and grandeur, that it reconnects the adult imagination to our primal thrill, and horror stories that held us spellbound as children. As gruesome and brutal as it is enchanting and spellbinding--"Pan's Labyrinth" is a movie intended for adults. It is a harsh, uncompromising film--but equally just as beautiful and moving."Pan's Labyrinth" is itself a narrative maze, with multiple stories that branch apart and back together again. This dark fairy tale plays out against the backdrop of Spain in 1944. A monstrous Fascist captain (López) is determined to flush out soldiers of the resistance, as his pregnant wife arrives at his countryside headquarters with her young daughter. The young girl Ofelia (Baquero), escapes the brutality of her new environment by drifting into a fantasy world where she comes across a mysterious faun. The faun tells her that she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. The faun also tells that her that her father is waiting for her, but she needs to accomplish three challenging and dangerous assignments first. Ofelia's challenges do not arise like arbitrary plot obstacles--they are organic to her (and the movie's) development. She learns not only to follow instructions--and that there are heavy prices to pay for failing to abide by them. But also to trust her own instincts about what is right and wrong. In order to find her true self, she must also find the her inner-strength to break the rules imposed by authority. An individual conscience. What could be a more powerful anti-fascist weapon than that?

In a dark, harsh, and violent world, Ofelia lives in her magical world trying to survive her tasks and see her father again. Soon, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of the ferocious battle between Good and Evil. Incredibly unique fable that blends fantasy and fearsome violence, ultimately merging the two stories together. Superbly realized--a rare film that invites repeated viewings to fully absorb all that writer-director del Toro has put into it. Oscar winner for Cinematography, Makeup, and Art Direction.