Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, "El Laberinto del Fauno" (aka "Pan's Labyrinth") was first released in France on May 27, 2006, and took off elsewhere all over the world. Winning three Oscars and nominated for many other awards, this movie is a must see for Fantasy and Drama fanatics.

Characters

Ofelia- Ivana Baquero: The main character of the film who must undergo certain tasks to fulfill her destiny, whether it is real or imaginative.

Carmen- Ariadma Gil: Ophelia's widowed mother who remarries to Spanish Army Captain, Vidal.

Vidal- Spanish Army Captain who has cares more about his future son than either Carmen or Ofelia.

Mercedes- Maribel Verdu: An undercover rebel against the Spanish forces, who was hired as Vidal's housekeeper. She becomes Ofelia's only friend during her stay at Vidal's estate.

The Faun- Doug Jones: The tree-like entity who Ofelia encounters, telling her of her destiny.

Brief Synopsis

After her father dies, a 12 year-old Ofelia and her pregnant mother Carmen move in with a Spanish Army Captain named Vidal during the 1944 fascism upheaval. The move was caused by Ofelia's mother feeling obligated to remarry and give birth to the Captain's son, wherever he is.

Unfortunately, Ofelia's new life proves to be difficult as she deals with the Captain's ruthless demeanor, the war surrounding her, and mother's pregnancy complications. Whether the events that follow are a figment of her imagination or a wonderful truth is up to the viewer to decide, but Ofelia finds herself immersed in a fantastical adventure with obstacles and tasks to overcome when she meets something that she thinks is a fairy. This fairy takes her to a Faun who tells her that she is a Princess reincarnated, which will provide her escape from a morbid mortal life if she completes the tasks given.

My Thoughts

Since the movie takes place in Spain and is played by an all Spanish cast, with the exception of Doug Jones, it comes to no surprise that this film is Spanish with subtitles. Therefore it was difficult at times to fully appreciate all of the beautiful images the film contained. That is my one and only gripe with the film. Other than that, it was a wonderful film, full of adventure. The actors and actresses all portrayed their roles to the best of their abilities, and it shows. You either love or hate the characters, and are drawn into their respective worlds.

It is hard to say whether Ofelia is simply caught up in a fairy tale fantasy she has concocted to avoid real life hardships, or if she is truly this Princess from the past. I am leaning towards the side that this is the real deal, due to a few instances in the movie where the only answer to how she achieves certain things is through magic. However, it is ultimately up to the interpretation of the individual. Either way, this film is remarkable and deserves all the awards it has received.

Note that this is not a children's movie. This is for a few reasons: It is in Spanish so unless they are fluent, they have to keep up with reading the subtitles. More importantly, the film does have graphic scenes of death and scary images, along with some crude language.

Miscellaneous

Also Known As:Pan's Labyrinth (International: English title)
The Labyrinth of the Faun (International: English title) (informal literal title)

MPAA: Rated R for graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:UK:119 min / USA:112 min / Canada:112 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Location: El Espinar, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain

Segovia, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain

Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, Madrid, Spain