Man-made evil trumps nightmare fantasy

But the real monsters live well above ground, ensuring "order and obedience" in Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, a terrifying fable about individual courage in the face of fascism and militarism in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

The story begins in classic fairytale fashion with a mysterious prologue about a dead princess of an underground realm. The film then introduces us to the real-life Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a pensive and imaginative 11-year-old travelling in a black sedan with her ill pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) to a remote military outpost in the Spanish hills.

The year is 1944, Franco's victorious fascist forces are brutally killing peasants and routing the last of the resistance fighters under the command of Ofelia's new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López).

"I want you to call him Father," Ofelia's pretty mother begs of her daughter, but Ofelia merely offers her hand to the Captain, only to have it painfully squeezed in his leather glove. This is the start of Ofelia's disobedience to her beloved mother and her resistance to the fascist father figure, the real theme of del Toro's second movie about the Spanish Civil War after 2001's The Devil's Backbone.

The triumph of this one, which del Toro wrote as well as designed, photographed, directed and produced, is the harsh moral power of the story it tells. And while the hidden fantasy world is horrifically beautiful to behold, the actions of the real-life characters - especially Ofelia, Captain Vidal and his strong-willed housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) - prove far more fascinating than the antics of Pan, the goat-headed faun (Doug Jones) who gives our young heroine three dangerous tasks to complete.

The film does a superb job of making a parallel between the giant bugs Ofelia discovers scuttling about in the subterranean kingdom and what's taking place aboveground: Similarly, her father's military post is a hive of activity as troops are dispatched to hunt down the rebels, and captives are barbarically and explicitly tortured, while the local doctor regularly tends Ofelia's bedridden mother and a dinner is being prepared for local fascist bigwigs.

Unbeknownst to the Captain, Mercedes is stealing supplies for the rebels, and the certain prospect of her discovery gives the film an almost pornographic undertow.

Best known on this side of the pond as the charming psychopath in With a Friend Like Harry, Catalan actor López plays Captain Vidal as both a narcissist and a sadist who takes as much pleasure in gazing at his face in the mirror as he does humiliating others. Obsessed with cleanliness, he is often shown shaving and polishing his boots. He tells his bourgeois dinner guests that he wants his son to be born in "a new, clean Spain," and "the vermin" who stand in its way to be exterminated. It's a statement you'll remember when del Toro upends the fairytale beginning at the sad, sweet and inspiring conclusion to this astonishing movie.

Pan's Labyrinth
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
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Oh for Gods Sake     Stop it! Stop tripping over yourselves over this half baked film. Are you all not glad enough that it won ( very deservedly so ) best cinematography at that awards show? This is more of the same from the underrated Guillermo Del Toro. It is visually splendid. It is ravishingly designed. There is more of the masterful movement from Doug Jones. And the little girl is quite excellent. But at the same time let's face facts...the narrative was full of flaws. As Mr. Del Toro is wont to do..it veers of into unnecessary tangents and wallows in borderline Grand Guignl at times. It is a step in the right direction from a director who is constantly maturing. But the over-praise is a bit much for a film with so many flaws. Some might even say like a film that is undeservedly awarded a best picture award!
Reuven De Souza	{5 votes}	March 23rd, 2007
The Path     I have seen a number of previews for this film and I am ecstatic that it is finally available in theatres. It looks absolutely spellbinding and, at the same time, terrifying. I get the impression that it's not a "kid's" movie in the typical sugar-coated, Disneyfied sense that we are used to in Canada, but that maybe it will be relevant for older kids and/or kids at heart, provided the viewer goes in with an open mind. I was immediately reminded, by some of the costumes, of the movie Labyrinth, with David Bowie and Jennifer Connoly. That was a dark and twisted story with many undertones, and I have always felt that it stands apart from other commercial children's and young adult's films. I have high hopes and many expectations for Pan's Labyrinth and having read the reviews here, I am even more excited to see it.
Chris Cloot	{11 votes}	January 25th, 2007
Film Review 101/Guillermo del Toro takes a break from his Hellboy duties to recharge his creative batteries and tell one whopper of a tale     Nobody does decent fantasy anymore, more often than not it lacks heart or is an insufferable CGI effects spectacle with no story or point in sight. People think fairy tales and they think of the soft sweetness that Disney force fed us growing up but true fairy tales, true folklore is laced with dark designs and wicked morality themes. Most people forget that. Guillermo del Toro isn't most people and Pan's Labyrinth isn't most movies. I don't know if you'll like this movie like the audience I saw it with but if you keep an open mind and just let yourself get carried away by the sublime weirdness and charm of Pan's Labyrinth you'll realize that this is what fairy tales ought to be like--two parts subtext and charm and one part magic. Oh yeah, a just little bit of blood. Watch this and be in awe.
Pedro Eggers	{18 votes}	January 21st, 2007
Pots and Pan     The film is in Spanish with English subtitles but the story itself is universal and has many parallels to classic fairy tales from all over the world. (The classic 'Cinderella' story has over 100 variations throughout the world and is found in almost all cultures!) You get used to reading the screen very quickly and it has no negative impact on the film in my opinion--in fact the very disjointed nature of watching a film in another language makes it easier to step back and be totally immersed in another culture with its' ideals, norms, and idiosyncrasies. The language is beautiful and matches the beauty of the settings on the screen throughout the film. The fantasy sequences blend flawlessly with the real sequences and make this film a joy to watch. The action is often intense and sometimes quite brutal but it is part of a larger social context that matches the pace. The film is complex and multilayered so you won't be bored and there is plenty of thought-provoking material for an after-the-movie-coffee or tea with accompanying discussion! All I can say is that you should see this film--it is a fairytale for adults that will keep you riveted to your seat! Definitely a treat on the big-screen. (not for children: RAted 14A) Rating: The Brothers Grimm give this film 4 thumbs up!!
Chris Honsberger	{16 votes}	January 20th, 2007
Cool     My kinda movie. I like stuff that's out there because i see the reality of the world on tv anyway and just want to escape. I guess this follows in the footsteps as Lord Of The Rings and Chronicles of Narnia. Well, count me in on this one cause the reality shows, cop shows and Court shows on tv just make me want to vomit.
Ger Madden	{7 votes}	January 19th, 2007
Weird     I saw on the awards the other night that this movie won some awards. i really had not paid attention to this flick before but watching pieces of it on the award show i think that I would be interested in seeing this movie, So this is going to be one of my projects for the weekend.
Louise Lacroix		February 27th, 2007

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