Pans Labyrinth review - Foreign Film

Pan's Labyrinth, originally known in Spanish as El laberinto del fauno (English: The Labyrinth of the Faun), is a 2006 Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film  written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto films. The film runs for 118 minutes and had a budget of £11 million. It made over £51 million in the box office. The story takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish civil war, The narrative of the film intertwines this real world with a mythical world centered on an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the protagonist, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden.

For much of the film, Ofelia's fairy-tale quest is secondary to the power vectors at work in the house. Tensions bubble between the Captain and Ofelia's weak mother, and especially the Captain and the housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verd). These are two marvellous characters. She has a quiet ferocity to match her cunning side, which makes her a splendid revolutionary heroine. The Captain  is the real monster of the story, with sadism bred in him by his own soldier father, and a macho theatricality that makes him a great movie villain. Lopez has played memorably creepy types in With a Friend like Harry and Dirty Pretty Things.

Despite its strong fantasy element, Pan's Labyrinth is definitely not a film for young children. Del Toro does not flinch from showing us war and rebellion as they really are, and there are scenes of shocking violence. Unlike previous attempts at this kind of blending, like Labyrinth and The Company Of Wolves, Pan's Labyrinth never allows the fantastic viewpoint to dominate, offering an equally strong parallel story. This is supported by a host of powerful performances, most notably from Maribel Verdu as Mercedes, a servant who befriends Ofelia. The charisma of the cast is vital in holding together a tale which includes so many different elements.

Pan's Labyrinth is sometimes weak is in the development of its fantasy characters. The faun is just a little too awkward and dry to convince; the fairies get too little room to develop; the monster which pursues Ofelia is hideous but too clumsy to be as sinister as it should be. I felt somehow this creature should have been in the film more. He was a rather creepy character and the one scene he was used in had me on the edge of my seat praying for Ofelia’s escape.

Ivana Baquero’s performance is excellent and del Toro demonstrates a remarkable ability to look at the world he has created from a child's perspective. Ofelia's certainty contrasts tellingly with the hesitation of adult characters to take action when they should, giving her a sense of purpose which remains when everything around her starts to crumble. It is here that the film really excels.