Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo Del Toro has been one of my favorite directors for a while. I think it’s his love of horror and darker themes that attracts me to his work. His current masterpiece is Pan’s Labyrinth.
The story centers on a young girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who is uprooted and taken to live with her pregnant mother, and a military captain in the rural countryside. The setting is Spain in 1944, where the captain (Sergi López) is actively hunting down the last resistance to the new fascist regime. Once arriving to their new home, Ofelia begins to have supernatural experiences. She meets a faun who tells her that her true nature is that of a princess from another world. He also explains that by completing three tasks, she can return to her world and regain her throne.
The most interesting aspect about this movie to me, is how brutal it is. Ofelia is living in a war torn conuntryside, fatherless and uprooted from her home. The captain is a sadist who almost revels in his ability to inflict pain. One scene in particular has him beating a man’s face in with a bottle. The act is unprovoked, and Guillermo does not turn the camera away. I feel that although disturbing, these scenes are necessary to setting the backdrop for Ofelia’s visions. She is surrounded by pain and loneliness. The faun represents an escape from the dark world that she lives in.
Interestingly enough the “labyrinth” actually plays a secondary role to the reality of which Ophelia is part of. Anyone expecting an alice in Wonderland will be sadly disappointed. This movie is so much more than a fairy tale, it cuts deeper to what makes us human. Most of the characters are faced with decisions of life and death. Del Toro spends most of the movie exploring the characters and their motivations. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a director become so involved with the mental state of his characters, including The evil and misguided captain.
Pan’s Labyrinth is an exploration of humanity in times of despair. It is neither forced nor contrived. It is a glimpse of one girl’s sliver of hope for a better world. I give this movie a solid “own it when it comes out on DVD”. -Tony