PAN'S LABYRINTH

If you do yourself one favour in the month of January, you must go and see this film. The buzz is warranted. An adult fairytale that strays away from the traditional morality-based childhood fable, Pan's Labyrinth is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. It's a fairy tale dressed up in horror-movie clothing. The story revolves around an imaginative young girl named Ofelia, whose widowed mother has recently married Vidal, a captain in Franco's fascist army. As the film begins, mother and daughter are en route to the country house where the captain has been staying while waging a campaign to wipe out the small band of resistance fighters that still occupy the surrounding hills. Harsh, brutal and completely devoid of affection for his new family, Vidal is a classic wicked-stepfather figure and Ofelia spends most of her time trying to avoid him. But grim reality soon gives way to elaborate fantasy when the girl is approached by the magical faun Pan who informs her that she is actually the long-lost daughter of the king of the underworld (if you were wondering, this is the creature you see in the top left corner of the blog...i don't think i've ever been as drawn to a movie character...he represents the duality that permeates much of the film...on the one hand, you will find him grotesque, but at the same time, it is hard to look away...and you never can decipher the true intent of his intentions for Ofelia). In order to be reunited with her "real" parents, Ofelia must complete three tasks, which bring her face-to-face with a giant toad, a faceless monster and, inevitably, Vidal.

I don't want to give too much away, so if what I've already written intrigues you, do not read any further. There are so many things about this movie that I loved. For one, I am a fan of fairy tales in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm, stories which are dark and antithetical to the happy-ending type stories that we were read as children. The cinematography in the film is stunning and some of the visuals are mindblowing (the transitions between scenes are especially sublime). I had not yet seen a Del Toro film, but I have to concede that he definitely has one the most active imaginations I have ever been privy too. Although it may not be readily apparent as one watches the film, the events of the fantastical world echo/mirror those of the real world. This is the genius of Del Toro's script...the two worlds inform one another. It is up to the viewer to decide what is real and what is not.

To my mind, the movie can also be viewed as allegorical, as the events of the Spanish Civil War could easily be sustituted with some of history's largest atrocities (e.g. the Holocaust) or those of the present day (namely Iraq).

Gary Jules - Mad World

Vidal believes that what he is doing is right and that it is the only way. He is not simply trying to be a tyrant...he genuinely believes that his cause is just. In this same way, men like Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, Bin Laden, even Bush, also represent this blind adherence to their own 'truths'. In my mind, this movie uses the vehicle of childhood - and the innocence it represents - to posit the tenet that we may be better served to disobey than obey. In this sense, it is unlike the traditional morality fable (i.e. it does not inform us to be "good"). In some situations, questioning our reality and being disobedient to authority may lead to more desirable outcomes. Ofelia represents the opposite of Vidal, and shows us that while remaining true to your convictions often leads to the path of greatest resistance, it is through this suffering that beauty and salvation can be found. This idea brings to light the film's final message, that beauty is all around us, we just have to look hard enough to see it. Ofelia creates a fantasy world that allows her to endure her existence in reality...she creates beauty and meaning from her suffering...and we should attempt to do the same.

There Is So Much Beauty In The World - Ricky Fitz (from American Beauty)

Here's an example of what I'm talking about (Thanks Cecily;-))...

Caterpillars and Monarchs

Alright...that's enough philosophy for one day...although I should also mention that you see Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron. Many of the same themes and messages permeate these two films...I guess it's a Mexican thing, chico...

Since we're on the topic of childhood, here's a track that sure a lot of you will enjoy...it's sung from the point of view of a child and captures the innocence and nostalgia of that time in our lives...

Nizlopi - JCB Song