When Oscar time rolled around this year, as usual I found I'd seen few of the contenders, but I had a good feeling about Pan's Labyrinth,
which my brother and I had hoped to catch the previous weekend. It came
highly recommended by many, including his friend Ian, a film
aficionado, so neither of us was shocked to see it win so many awards.
It took me eight months, but I finally saw the mystical, horrifying, ultimately hopeful Pan’s Labyrinth.
This Spanish film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro focuses
upon one very special girl, the quiet, dark-haired, imaginative Ofelia
(Ivana Baguero). Like a reverse Cinderella, she travels to an austere
castle with her sickly, pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) and soon falls
under the iron fist of a wicked stepfather. His name is Captain Vidal
(Sergi Lopez), and he is one of the most truly villainous characters
I’ve ever encountered. Usually I can muster up some sympathy for the bad
guy, but this man is so despicable I just wanted him vanquished.
Captain Vidal, a cruel, self-important man who seems to get a charge
out of slaughtering civilians who may or may not be involved in an
uprising against officials like him, spares real tenderness for no one
except perhaps his not-yet-born son, but his regard for his heir is so
self-centered that I hardly consider it a laudable character trait.
Presumably he felt at least some small degree of attraction to Ofelia’s
mother, but he certainly doesn’t treat her with any respect now that she
has made the long and dangerous journey to be with him at this late
stage of the pregnancy. Meanwhile, he leers at Mercedes (Maribel Verdu),
a servant who develops a close relationship with Ofelia, but he has no
affection for her.
Mercedes straddles two worlds in this
intriguing movie set in 1944. While she works diligently for the
captain, she has rendez-vous with the resistance in secret. Among her
co-conspirators is my favorite of the secondary characters, Dr. Ferreiro
(Alex Angulo), a compassionate, sophisticated physician whose skills
are sorely needed for the problem pregnancy.
While all the
wartime whispers begin to build in volume, Ofelia strives to survive her
appalling new circumstances. A delicate, insect-like being trails her
and eventually leads her to meet Pan, an ancient and rather
frightful-looking faun who informs Ofelia that she is the princess of a
peculiar but magnificent underworld. In order to prove herself still
worthy of her immortal birthright, she must successfully complete three
difficult tasks.
The delicate Baguero is exceptional in her
role, perfectly portraying a girl of legendary destiny trapped by
societal constraints, primarily the harsh rule of her stepfather. Her
performance reminds me very much of Keisha Castle-Hughes' in Whale Rider, which similarly entwines history and myth to remarkable effect. Ofelia also carries hints of Sarah in Labyrinth and Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
both beloved tales of fantasy and morality. This film is less fantasy
than magical realism, a genre I discovered in college and found
fascinating.
Although the protagonist is a young girl, Pan's Labyrinth
really aims at an older audience. While I found that the disconnect
between the Spanish dialogue and the English subtitles softened the
impact of the profanity for me, the violence was every bit as lurid.
Generally, whenever the captain's on screen, it's a safe bet that
unpleasantness will follow. Ofelia faces some gruesome obstacles in her
fantastical challenges as well, most especially in one very frustrating
scene in which she flagrantly disregards Pan's instructions and makes
her task considerably more arduous. Though her journey is often painful
to watch, hers is a tale of growth and courage ideal for discussion with
older children; because of its graphic nature, I wouldn't recommend it
for most children under 13.
Pan's Labyrinth is a film
that is beautiful and terrible, strange and thought-provoking. Beware
the grim obstacles lurking in the corners, but don't hesitate to get
lost in this labyrinth.
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