PAN'S LABYRINTH
dir: Guillermo del Toro
"And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning... " - Fauno
Brief Synopsis
A young girl in Spain during World War II escapes her terrible reality through a mysterious labyrinth that is the key to a strange, dangerous fantasy world.
Why It's Here
In the bizarre mind of Guillermo del Toro, anything is possible. Responsible for several Spanish cult-favorites and big budget American superhero adaptations, del Toro has a dedication of quality to his fans. "Pan's Labyrinth" represents the pinnacle of this dedication as his most refined and amazing work to date. Transcending the limits of the typical fantasy film, del Toro moves Pan's Labyrinth from the family-friendly safe zone of most fairy tales into a dark unfamiliar territory that depicts this strange world as unsettling, dangerous, violent, yet captivating and intriguing. While young Ofelia faces numerous threats and death in the strange world she encounters, it is constantly more comfortable and reassuring than the bleak reality of the World War and her upset mother and tyrant of a step-father.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is a powerfully truthful depiction of a fantasy world that is not all fairies, song, and dance that Disney films may like to depict them as. It is a world firmly planted on a reality base, but still remains a film that is not hesitant to explore the imagination, both the wonderous and the dangerous aspects of it. Del Toro represents his world as imaginary, while spouting evidence that perhaps this fantasy is in fact real. The mythology behind the labyrinth is interesting and captivating to both Ofelia and the audience, lurring us in together. The creatures that lie within this world are the film's greatest trophy, created with a mixture of physical costumes and CGI, the mysterious beings throughout the film are tangible, giving a sense of authenticity in believing that the film is real, yet the puppet-like flickering of the fawn and the slimy texture of the terrifying dinner guest suggest a more supernatural element. Del Toro manages to use these consistently conflicting themes to create the sense of wonder and dread that carries this film above being silly fantasy or bleak horror.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is a powerfully truthful depiction of a fantasy world that is not all fairies, song, and dance that Disney films may like to depict them as. It is a world firmly planted on a reality base, but still remains a film that is not hesitant to explore the imagination, both the wonderous and the dangerous aspects of it. Del Toro represents his world as imaginary, while spouting evidence that perhaps this fantasy is in fact real. The mythology behind the labyrinth is interesting and captivating to both Ofelia and the audience, lurring us in together. The creatures that lie within this world are the film's greatest trophy, created with a mixture of physical costumes and CGI, the mysterious beings throughout the film are tangible, giving a sense of authenticity in believing that the film is real, yet the puppet-like flickering of the fawn and the slimy texture of the terrifying dinner guest suggest a more supernatural element. Del Toro manages to use these consistently conflicting themes to create the sense of wonder and dread that carries this film above being silly fantasy or bleak horror.