Pan's Labyrinthby Patti MartinsonReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 8 Pan's Labyrinth opens with Ofelia narrating a fairy tale from one of her many books. She is traveling with her pregnant mother by car to a fairly remote, dilapidated house that will be their new home. Ofelia's mother, Carmen, has remarried after the death of Ofelia's father, to Captain Vidal, a soldier in Franco's army who is stationed there after Franco became the victor in Spain's Civil War.Captain Vidal has two missions: to ensure that his wife gives birth successfully to a male child and to stamp out any resistance that still lurks in the hills in the area. It is clear from the outset that Carmen's pregancy is a difficult one and that Captain Vidal is an extremely stiff, cold and brutal man, who thinks nothing of shooting any suspected resistence fighters, however innocent they may be. While wandering the ruins of a labyrinth that is not far from her home, Ofelia meets an enormous faun, who tells her that she is a princess and that to win her way back to her true home, she must perform three tasks. The movie follows two arcs: one of the constant battle between Vidal and his men with the bands of resistance fighters and Ofelia's attempts to carry out her three tasks. As the movie progresses, the two arcs start to merge as one. The fantasy elements are less of a focus than I had expected, but they were very well done. The look and feel of the film was very potent and imaginative. The characters fulfilled their roles admirably, and even the vicious Captain Vidal getting a smidgen of shading. Make no mistake, however, this is a very heavy, very brutal film. There were parts that I literally could not watch. This is certainly no movie for children and even some adults might find this movie hard to take. I found more to admire than enjoy in this movie, so my rating reflects that. Written: February 18, 2007
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