Prior to my veiwing of Guillermo de Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (In reality whatever the hell that is in Spanish), my interest and expectations were both equally low. A few people had told me it was a good film, but I couldn't find in myself how a fantasy movie about fairies subtitled in Spanish would appeal to me. My doubts were answered by a visual and emotional experience that left me both amazed and deeply satified.
The film is anything but the cheesy fantasy work I was expecting. Rather, de Toro brilliantly uses two contrasting plotlines to portray two entirely different worlds. The film is really two films spliced together, the first being the reality of the main character Ofelia's family life. Her mother is pregnant and she has been forced to move into a secure base to be with her Hitleresque father as his fascist regime attempts to fight off opposing Communists during the Spanish Civil War of the 1940's. Throughout the film, Ofelia's father (played unbelievably by Sergi Lopez) brutally murders and tortures just about anyone who shows resistance towards him or his beliefs and continually treats his family with little to no respect. This side of the film powerfully connects the viewer to the real horrors Ofelia has to deal with on a daily basis, and superbly compliments the second plot interwoven within the picture.
The surreal side of the film is a wild Fairy Tale story that Ofelia is thrown into through the direction of an aging monster fawn (yep.). It is a refuge for the girl, and dreams of being a long lost Princess pursuing three magical tasks to win back the love of her immortal parents is used by both Ofelia and the filmmakers to turn attention from a dismal world of corruption and war to a fantastic place of hope and wonder. Never before have I seen a film take two styles so different and blend them to form a product that truly transcends the greatness of each individual ingredient. In this case, the whole is hands down greater than the sum of its parts.
In addition to the cross-referencing storylines that make Pan's Labyrinth so unique, the visual effects and presentation of the film add to its beauty. It is a dark picture, but the use of bright lighting in a few crucial scenes seems to take the viewer and uplift them out of the grim reality presented in the majority of the film. The creatures Ofelia encounters are memorable and visually intriguing, often costumed to near perfection. The special effects are equally satisfying, notably the computer-generated fairies flying around throughout. For a film that clashes realistic visual battle scenes with a magical world of bizarre beings, the presentation is amazingly suitable.
Without giving out any spoilers, I will stop by simply advocating the film if you have yet to see it. Behind City of God and the adrenaline-filled Apacolypto, this film lies third in my list of "Top Movies I Am Forced To Read", and has made a place for itself in the cinema of storytelling. Pan's Labyrinth has the power of Shindler's List, the originality of Big Fish, and the magic of Harry Potter. It is not a movie of childish tall tales, but a deep portrayal of the dark side of humanity and a little girl's vision to escape it.
*****
The surreal side of the film is a wild Fairy Tale story that Ofelia is thrown into through the direction of an aging monster fawn (yep.). It is a refuge for the girl, and dreams of being a long lost Princess pursuing three magical tasks to win back the love of her immortal parents is used by both Ofelia and the filmmakers to turn attention from a dismal world of corruption and war to a fantastic place of hope and wonder. Never before have I seen a film take two styles so different and blend them to form a product that truly transcends the greatness of each individual ingredient. In this case, the whole is hands down greater than the sum of its parts.
In addition to the cross-referencing storylines that make Pan's Labyrinth so unique, the visual effects and presentation of the film add to its beauty. It is a dark picture, but the use of bright lighting in a few crucial scenes seems to take the viewer and uplift them out of the grim reality presented in the majority of the film. The creatures Ofelia encounters are memorable and visually intriguing, often costumed to near perfection. The special effects are equally satisfying, notably the computer-generated fairies flying around throughout. For a film that clashes realistic visual battle scenes with a magical world of bizarre beings, the presentation is amazingly suitable.
Without giving out any spoilers, I will stop by simply advocating the film if you have yet to see it. Behind City of God and the adrenaline-filled Apacolypto, this film lies third in my list of "Top Movies I Am Forced To Read", and has made a place for itself in the cinema of storytelling. Pan's Labyrinth has the power of Shindler's List, the originality of Big Fish, and the magic of Harry Potter. It is not a movie of childish tall tales, but a deep portrayal of the dark side of humanity and a little girl's vision to escape it.
*****
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