Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth
(El Labertino del Fauno)

I would never have heard of this movie as early as I did if it hadn't been for the fact that Wal Mart was sold out of one of my usual entertainment-themed magazines. I wandered around until I found something else to buy, and that particular magazine had a feature on Pan's Labyrinth that piqued my interest. I looked it up on the Internet and was taken completely aback by the fact that critics almost universally considered the film to be really, really good. In fact, I still haven't seen a bad review, and that the movie has won 14 awards out of 47 nominations to date seems to show that bad reviews aren't likely to be forthcoming any time soon.

Pan's Labyrinth takes place in Spain in 1944. The Spanish Civil War is over, but only on paper. Franco's fascist troops continue rooting out and disposing of members of the Republican resistance. It is in the midst of these unsettled times that young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) travel to the northern countryside. Ofelia's father was killed in the war, and her mother has remarried one of Franco's officers, Capitán Vidal (Sergi López). It's to his rural station that the pair are headed.

Ofelia is more than a little unsettled by all of this, but her mother admonishes her that the Captain has been good to them and she urges the girl to call him "Father." Unsaid but implied is the fact that, with fighting still ongoing and deprivations everywhere, the Captain is also likely to provide them with some much needed protection. Ofelia doesn't refuse, but she doesn't agree, either. Instead, she buries her nose in one of her beloved books.

Upon arrival at an old mill where the troops have set up camp, Ofelia reluctantly greets the stern Capitán Vidal and meets his housekeeper, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú). While the adults are distracted with luggage and other such details, Ofelia escapes into the surrounding forest where she chases a large insect she finds fascinating. In short order, she ends up at a stone archway that leads into a stone walled ruin. Just as she would explore further, Mercedes calls her away to the house.

Ofelia hasn't forgotten the ruin or the bug for a minute. When she finally falls asleep that night, she wakes to strange sounds and discovers the insect — or one very much like it — fluttering about the room. When it lands on her legs and begins to crawl upward, she first accuses it of following her, and then smiles and asks it if it's a fairy. Surprisingly, the bug stops and sits almost as if it's considering. Ofelia pulls a book of fairytales off the bedside table and opens it to a page with an illustration of a fairy on it to show her new friend. The bug promptly begins to move oddly, and then to contort itself into an entirely new shape and configuration. In just another moment, Ofelia is overjoyed to find she's right: the bug is a fairy!

The fairy beckons her to follow, and with all the trust of a child, Ofelia does. Soon, she's crept out of the house, into the woods, and all the way back to the ruins. With the fairy to guide her, she finds a deep well with a staircase leading downward. With only a little trepidation, she steps forward and down, down, down. When she finally reaches the bottom, she's disappointed to find nothing but more stones and an ancient statue. But with a sudden startling movement, she learns she's not alone after all when a frightening creature steps forward and introduces himself as a faun (Doug Jones). And the faun has an important assignment for her!

Meanwhile, Carmen's pregnancy isn't going well. She's confined to bed rest by the kindly local physician, Dr. Ferreiro (Alex Angulo). Capitán Vidal, who is obsessed with the notion of having a son, is adamant that she receive all the care and accommodation that she needs. But the captain leaves the execution of such things to others as he's entirely occupied with tracking down and obliterating the rebels that infest the forested hills nearby. And he intends to do so, no matter the cost or the ruthlessness he might need to employ!

As Capitán Vidal tries to second-guess the rebels, Ofelia works to do what the faun has asked of her. She struggles in her tasks almost as much as the Captain does in his, and both emerge from their efforts covered in filth though of very different kinds. Intent on their own focus, the two try to ignore each other as much as possible. Still, they have a surprising amount in common as they both step into danger. It's what they do next, though, in the face of that danger that illustrates how the two really have nothing in common at all.

Sergi López is just fantastic as the hateful Capitán Vidal. His malevolence is so complete that I was actually shocked to read that the actor is more typically cast in light comedic roles! I can certainly see why the director had López in mind from the beginning for the part. He's perfect. Ariadna Gil is just fine as the weak and fearful Carmen, while Maribel Verdú carries off very well the depiction of the efficient housekeeper with some dark secrets of her own. Doug Jones is surprisingly expressive despite being thoroughly covered with an intricate latex mask and costume, and the rest of the supporting cast is also quite good. 12 year-old Ivana Baquero (she was 11 when the movie was filmed) is a revelation. With only a little local experience prior to her role in Pan's Labyrinth, she stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the ballpark with a performance that puts many veterans to shame. She was, in every way, just fantastic.

Pan's Labyrinth was conceived of, written, and directed by Guillermo del Toro. del Toro isn't a novice director, but his work in this film is, even so, a brilliant effort. The cinematography is utterly breathtaking (many of the film's award nominations recognize that fact), and the special effects are spot on (some award nominations have honored that work as well). The sets are spectacular, and the costuming blends perfectly with everything else. And then there's the make-up which, whether it was depicting war wounds or fantastic creatures, was terrific. Adding to it all were more than a few inspired and flawlessly rendered edits.

The story itself is fascinating on any level you'd care to examine: On the surface, Pan's Labyrinth is a delightfully dark fairy tale. Deeper down, the escape of the child from war and tragedy into another world is unsurprising, but the fact even the other world holds its horrors is a lesson not lost on either Ofelia or her audience. And, of course, there are the inevitable intersections between worlds...

It took some time for me to find a theatre showing Pan's Labyrinth. The film still isn't in wide release and, as a subtitled foreign language film (Spanish), it may never arrive in some smaller markets. But if you find Pan's Labyrinth showing within driving distance from your home, I can assure you that it's well worth the time and the effort it will take you to get there and buy a ticket. I'm frankly not keen on foreign language films (I made an exception for Apocolypto), but this is no ordinary foreign language film. In any language and in any venue, Pan's Labyrinth is just plain one of the finest examples of movie-making and story-telling I've ever seen, and I recommend it without reservation.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Pan's Labyrinth is rated R for "graphic violence and some language." The violence, including scenes of torture, is truly graphic (though admittedly nowhere near as graphic as it might have been). The subject matter is also quite adult and somewhat complex. Add to that the fact that subtitles are involved, and you can completely eliminate young children from consideration for this film. For older teens (I'd say 16 or 17 and up) and for adults, though, Pan's Labyrinth offers a truly rare experience for theatre-goers. I'll warn you, though: I left the theatre hours ago, and some of the onscreen images I saw today continue to haunt me as I write these words. What a wonderful — and wonderfully affecting! — film!