"Pan's labyrinth" Review

When fantasy meets horror the results are incredible.

by Filip Vukcevic

It is easy to forget the power of fairy tales. In today's society the genre is more or less strictly confined to stories directed at children. That is a tremendous shame, because if Pan's Labyrinth is a testament to what is possible when fairy tales are taken into the realm of the adult world, the results can be profound, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. The film, which screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, is all three of these things, and many more

Art gothic fantasy, part political statement, Guillermo del Toro's masterwork is clearly a labor of love, marrying his interest in the Spanish Civil War with his fascination with fantasy and horror. Del Toro should be very proud of himself; instead of taking this film to a studio, which would have desensitized (and thus gutted) the film, he set out on his own, filming the movie in Spanish and shooting it out of America. The result is one of this year’s must see film.

Pan's Labyrinth tells the story of young Ofelia (played by eleven-year-old Ivana Baquero), a child who is forced to move, along with her pregnant mother, into a massive old millhouse cottage which is nestled deep within a dense forest. This building also happens to house the militaristic Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), Ofelia's "father." From the outset it is clear that war is in the air, but none of this concerns Ofelia. She is fascinated with books and the amazing stories that fill them. No sooner has she arrived at the barracks/cottage than she encounters a "fairy" – a stick-like insect that is part dragonfly, part praying mantis, and is as fascinating as it is menacing.

Ofelia's insectoid friend soon reveals that it has shape-changing abilities and takes the shape of a svelte fairy, leading Ofelia on a moon-lit chase deep into the heart of the mysterious garden labyrinth found behind the cottage. Ofelia comes across a sunken grotto in the center of the maze. Within the hole, the little girl encounters Pan (played by longtime monster-man, Doug Jones), a mysterious and magical character who informs her that she is actually the princess of the underworld.