Pan's Labyrinth

Rated R for: graphic violence and some language
Running Time: 1 hr., 52 min.
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones

Special warning: Despite the fact that the film is a fantasy, it is definitely not for children.

Rating: Three and a half stars [out of four]

In Spanish with English subtitles


Director Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" sucks you into its very detailed world from the very opening shot, and never lets you go for the entire running time. It takes you into a world of fantasy, while never letting you forget the reality that hangs just on the fringe of imagination.

"Pan's" is one of those small foreign films that has been hard to find since its December 29th U.S. release, but fortunately for those of us not living within fifty miles of an arthouse theatre, it has finally been released wide.

The year is 1944. The place is post-Civil War northern Spain. When we start the film, little Ofelia [Ivana Baquero] is being whisked away by her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather far away from civilization. Her stepfather, Captain Vidal [Sergi López], has been sent to this remote area to hide from the Republican militia, who wants him head.

Ofelia is told early on by her mother that she is to call the Captain "father," but Ofelia wants none of it. As we soon find out, Vidal is a sadistic, evil and abusive man, and Ofelia finds herself lost in a dark world with no hope of escape.

One night Ofelia finds herself wandering into a nearby labyrinth, where the world of reality starts to quickly fade away, replaced by a bizarre world straight out of a fairy tale.

Deep within the labyrinth, she meets a strange creature called a faun [played by Doug Jones] who tells her that she is actually a princess in "the Underworld," and can return, but first must prove that she is worthy by carrying out three tasks. Once she does this, he promises, she can stay in the Underworld forever, as the princess she is supposed to be.

From this point on, the movie balances two narratives- the stark, cold reality of the world around Ofelia, and the magical world of breathtaking and sometimes horrifying creatures that may or may not all be in her head.






Visually, "Pan's Labyrinth" is an absolutely beautiful journey into the deepest parts of the imagination. Del Toro creates a world that is a visual feast, and you'll find yourself just as far down the rabbit hole [to quote a very famous fantasy] as Ofelia. It's a wonder to behold.

The movie explores the sharp contrast between the unforgiving reality of the world, where absolutely anything can happen, good or bad, and the world of fantasy, where nothing can truly hurt you. It's an interesting concept, and is even more sobering seen through the eyes of a ten year old girl trying to escape a horrible life that seems to have no hope.

Thought-provoking, heartbreaking and beautiful, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a fantasy film for adults, a sort of "Alice In Wonderland" that explores the line where childhood fantasy ends, and reality begins. Don't miss it.