The clue doesn't reside in the title - this Labyrinth is not pans! (pants)

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2008)

It's easy for people to overlook a film like Pan's Labyrinth. Some people would be inclined to believe, prejudiciously, that this film is probably arty nonsense, for the following tick box reasons: It's a Spanish film (tick!), it has subtitles (tick!), it received Oscar nominations (tick!), and it has been described by Mark Kermode as 'the Citizen Kane of modern fantasy cinema' and 'a life-changing experience' (tick!). In fact, this film is first and foremost a great story, wonderfully told, albeit quite a dark and, at times, tragic one. Sorry was this part of the tick box?
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II), the film is set in 1944 during a time of fascist rule in Spain. Ofelia is a young girl reluctantly moving with her pregnant mother to a military outpost where the baby's father (not Ofelia's father - her father died) is in charge of the brutal suppression of local dissidents. It is at this wooded outpost that Ofelia discovers the labyrinth and a mythical creature known as the Faun who reveals that she is the princess to a lost world but in order to return must fulfil three tasks. From the outset, the grim reality of Spanish fascism is juxtaposed with the dark fairytale of an underworld realm.
What most impresses, is that not only does the film work on both levels, but it also manages to weave the fairytale through the realistic portrayal of wartime Spain without undermining the latter's stark nature. If I was to continue the weaving metaphor, I would say that Ofelia is the needle. You'd then have permission to call me the prick.
But let's be honest, children can often be irritating in films. They either whine a lot, cry-a-lot, buy-a-lot (Richie Rich), or fly-brooms-a-lot (Harry Potter). Most importantly, they are always needy and it is the adults who suffer - both within the film and in the groaning audience. But here, in Ofelia, is an actual child you can sympathise with. She takes the worlds weight on her shoulders - then cries a lot and whines a lot But we forgive her. Ivana Baquero offers a central performance that, despite all the drama, is actually rather restrained and all the better for it. And surrounding her are a number of memorable characters, none more so than the sadistic Captain Vidal played with emotion-stripped menace by Sergi Lopez.
The direction from Del Toro is sublime, capturing the right balance between dark fantasy and cruel reality. Long lingering shots give the characters that extra life and breathing space so often lost in the hands of pop-video-turned movie directors. This is complimented by one of the best movie soundtracks I have heard in recent times. It's haunting, compelling and stays with you long after the credits have rolled. The Oscar nomination was rightly deserved.
It's difficult to recommend this film enough. It holds such a strong emotional power and tells such an engaging story that you soon forget you're reading subtitles. And ultimately Pan' Labyrinth is a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives in the fight against fascism.
Mel Dixon