Pans Labyrinth

REVIEW BY NATALIE WARWICK

I loved this film so much I watched it twice at the cinema... why?? because it is a really interesting premise and highly enjoyable.  It's in Spanish but I love that, having to read the subtitles does not annoy me at all. For me being in a foreign language only adds to the story. Through me not understanding Spanish I already am alienated and removed from the action; thus making the fantasy element present itself as so much more fantastical and the violent and dramatic scenes and the antagonists are so much more hated and satanic because I do not relate them at all, not even on the basic level of language.

Now this is a fairy story for adults. The best kind in my opinion. It has such a great fantastical element but that is twisted around a very cruel and nasty core. The story revolves around Ophelia, who is forced to live in a remote house of the fascist Spanish 'Capitan' and her step father, in 1944. In the grounds lies an old stone maze and within this Ophelia meets with a fawn; who sets her three tasks in order to make herself worthy as the spirit of the long lost princess of the underworld....

It is filmed in eery, gritty, dim light and doesn't hold back the punches on violence and cruelty thatpeople show each other. It is the multi-layering of the story that makes it so interesting. There is also the inkling of doubt, throughout, as to whether the fantastical elements to the story are actually happening or are a poor oppressed girls way of escaping her unhappy reality.

Pan's Labyrinth can be hard to watch at times as there are a substantial amount of graphic violent scenes so be warned. But if you can perceive this gritty realism as a tool to heighten the alienation of the bad guys and push Ophelia into the hands of a suspect Fawn, who may be not all who he seems it sort of makes it OK. Overall this is just a great film experience if your the type to look for hidden meanings and are ready to go on a fantastical, double jeopardy, adventure with a 12 year old girl.

Year:2006

Running time: 119 minutes

Classification: 15

check out more info at the IMDB website