Film Review:Pan’s Labyrinth

“Pan’s Labyrinth” was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. “El Laberinto del Fauno” as it is known in Spanish, the spoken language of the film, is shown to America completely in subtitles.

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, a girl who moves to the country after her mother marries a Spanish army captain who is fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Through the midst of all this, she meets a faun in the middle of an old decrepit labyrinth just outside of her new home. He says that she is a princess from the underworld and she has been reincarnated. Her spirit father has been waiting for her and she must return back to her kingdom. But in order to open the portal, she must complete three tasks to prove she really is the princess.

This all takes place with the war scenes sprinkled through-out. Early ads for this film make it appear it is largely about the Labyrinth and the monsters in it. In actuality, it is more about those war scenes and Ofelia’s step-father’s character than anything else. She is the main character, but it seems that so many subplots are trying to break through to be the main one that it is hard to define the main story. However the underlying plot is Ofelia’s way of coping with the harsh reality surrounding her. It follows along the lines of a fairy tale, with a heroine and the tasks that define her. Through special effects Ofelia’s imagination comes to life. Although brutal at times, it is difficult to look away.

Though the plot may be confusing at times, it was a good movie. It has a deeper message, or a moral, but it’s not preachy. It was very well done in every aspect. Rated R, this movie is good for anyone who can see a rated R movie. It is graphic.

I give it 5 stars out of 5.