Argh. I had this whole review written, and the Spout site lost it in the saving process. I will have to rewrite it and will edit this post when I'm not as frustrated by the fact that it was lost.
The moral: I did love this movie. Details to come.
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Ok. I'll try to remember what I wrote. Essentially, I had been wanting to see Pan's Labyrinth for awhile now, ever since the Oscars and noticing the film's many awards and nominations. I hadn't had the chance until last night; it was a rental. I can say that it was definitely worth the wait (and I wish I'd seen it sooner). This movie was visually stunning, and the story was of an emotional brilliance that haunts you long after the credits roll. I think anyone who walked into this movie expecting children's fairy tales was gravely mistaken, and, frankly, I don't know how where that perception was created. I knew always that this was a dark fantasy, but the darkness did not overwhelm. It was presented as a parallel to the fantasy world, and the two storylines juxtaposed created a multilayered, multitextured cinematic experience that I absolutely loved.
Ofelia is a 12 year old who loves fairy tales (I immediately connected with this character. I'm still there, and I'm 30). She escapes to these stories in light of the fact that her pregnant mother is transporting her to the Spanish countryside to live with her sadistic, trigger-happy stepfather, a loyalist general in the Spanish Civil War. Here, Ofelia encounters Pan, a guardian of an underworld kingdom, who informs Ofelia that she is actually the embodiment of an immortal princess, awaited by her true father, the king of this mystical kingdom. In order to prove her identity and royal birthright and to open the portal to this new world, Ofelia must complete three dangerous tasks, all while suffering the scorn of her misogynistic stepfather, captain Vidal, and while distracted by the fatal complications of her mother's pregnancy and the resurgent force attacking the captain led in secret by his primary servant, and Ofelia's friend, Mercedes.
First, the performances in this piece were breathtaking. The young actress who played Ofelia was mesmerizing, and the woman who played Mercedes was equally enchanting. They drew me in from the first.
The visual effects, cinematography, and aesthetic presentation of this movie were beautiful. What I particularly enjoyed was how the light and darkness were used to eschew the viewers' perspective. Pan only came out at night, for example, while evil Captain Vidal tortured captors in broad daylight. The photography of sunlit woods and the interior of a decaying fig tree was masterful and served to blend fantasy and reality effectively, making it as fluid and seamless a world as possible. The blue hue of the darker scenes punctuated that dream-like quality.
The most impressive and captivating element of this story, though, was how the fantasy could be interpreted as real events, happening to Ofelia though unbeknownst to anyone she knew, or could be interpreted as true fantasy, living hallucinations that Ofelia escaped to in lieu of the war and despair around her. The movie left enough open to interpretation where the viewer can choose the vantage point that best suits them because I do not think there is meant to be a right or wrong answer here. What the viewer does come to realize is that these events are real to Ofelia, real enough to define her existence, which creates a lovely message when considered more deeply.
This is my first Guillermo del Toro film, and now, I'm thoroughly interested in exploring others. I personally felt that this film was nothing short of a masterpiece, so for that reason, I rate the film a 10 (for masterpiece)! Also, it totally passes the test. I would love to watch this movie more than once, though the graphic violence was a bit hard to watch (it served a purpose, but it was very graphic). I loved this film at any rate and would gladly add this to my fantasy collection because it was such a beautiful film in every labrythine way.