The Magical Touch

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2007)

Pans Labyrinth", a remarkable film from the inconsistent director Guillermo Del Toro, is an intertwined tale of adulterated fantasy, a very accurate assessment on nefarious and fascist government, and most of all, a superlative accomplishment in the genre of fantasy. Del Toro has proved more than his hidden facade of indispensable magic; he has created a world to escape to. For the first, and maybe the only time this year, the viewer is in a world of cinema that is unpredictable from the start.
A towering work of narrative obscurity, "Pan's Labyrinth" portrays the life of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a genuine little girl who believes in magic. Her mother, Carmen, is pregnant, and they are on their way to the mothers' husbands' home in 1944. Her husband Captain Vidal) is a hardcore Franquista (Franco supporter, the dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 until 1975 when he died of natural causes) who is merciless at all costs.
But in the end, Del Toro does not distinguish a good from a bad ending, and quite frankly it hardly even matters. What the viewer perceives is more than just a remarkable story. It's an illustrious work of magic made for a must-viewing. And in the end, after Ofelia's last task is accomplished, and the masterful musical score lay in the background, one can't help but think: Could the film be meant for something else? Of course it is, for it is a clear and thought out political allegory. But even by viewing the film at diverse standpoints, in the end it really comes down to the real truth: the film is nothing short of a true and simple work of art.