One of the greatest films ever made...

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2007)

It opens with a haunting shot of a little girl, lying on the ground, breathing heavily, bleeding profusely from her nose. And we know right away that we're not seeing some PG-rated fantasy. In fact, Pan's Labyrinth is Rated R, and considering the violence, profanity and sheer content of the film, the rating is more than appropriate. That one can label Labyrinth a fantasy, a realistic history lesson and a beautiful poetic tragedy all in one is rare enough. That it unfolds as one of the most moving film experiences in years makes it a pure gem.
Pan's Labyrinth centers around a young girl named Ofelia (played with realism, subtlety and wonder by relative unknown, Ivana Baquero) who is stuck in the devastating realm of World War II, Spain. She is the mistreated step-daughter of a sinister Spanish military captain, Captain Vidal (whose character is made into the quintessential villain of our time - a raging and murdering madman - by the brilliant actor, Sergi Lopez). Sofia 's mother (and Vidal's wife) is a sad character who has obviously lost the strength to believe in what's right and believe in herself. It's not that she's a bad mother. In fact, she loves Ofelia with every breath and every beat of her aching heart. But fear and hopelessness have obviously taken their toll. What's worse, Ofelia's mother is completely meaningless to Vidal so long as she gives birth to his son. Poor little Ofelia's only escape from the devastation around her is exactly that: escapism, and in the purest fantasy only a young child can dream up. That her world of fantasy has political implications and subtle connections with the real world with which she escapes is something only a brilliant screenwriter and filmmaker can dream up.
With sweeping and beautiful camera work, Pan's Labyrinth takes us through both worlds, the horrifying reality of Ofelia's life and the desperate realm of fantasy she creates to escape it. We move from a scene in which Vidal brutally murders two innocent farmers, directly to a scene in which Ofelia converses with a Faun and travels with guiding fairies. The juxtaposition of sobering reality with that of Ofelia's dreamlike world makes the story and its themes all the more effective; how awful it must be for a little girl to have to watch her mother slowly die while her stepfather maliciously runs people's lives (and brutally ends others'). But not all hope is lost. Fantastic escapism isn't the only player on Ofelia's side. Other forces are at work, like Vidal's slave worker Mercedes, who sympathizes dearly with Ofelia and also happens to be secretly helping Vidal's war rivals. Actress Maribel Verdu plays Mercedes with such raw emotion and power that we find ourselves literally cheering her on with excitement.
Similarities of the film's story can be made with that of Life is Beautiful, another brilliant foreign picture about escaping horrific reality. But director Guillermo Del Toro has made something, if at all possible, far more effective with Labyrinth. I haven't seen a movie this original, this engaging, this magical and this devastating in years. The year 2006 didn't produce many memorable films. I really liked The Departed and had a ball of a time with Casino Royale. But my excitement for the movie-going experience, frighteningly enough, has been slowly diminishing. Pan's Labyrinth restores my faith that there's still truly incredible movies to be made. Many critics have said it's one of the greatest foreign films ever to hit US soil. I think Pan's Labyrinth is one of the greatest films ever. Period.
Grade: A+