Young mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) has just remarried, to a captain in Franco’s army named Vidal (Sergi López). Newly pregnant, she moves with her daughter Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) to live with Vidal in his cottage in the country.
One of Vidal’s servants, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), takes a real shining to young Ofelia, and takes her under her wing, particularly as Carmen’s pregnancy is not going well, and she spends most of the day sick in bed.
Ofelia soon ventures into the woods surrounding the cottage, where she discovers a large labyrinth. Seeing a fairy one night, she follows it into the labyrinth alone, where she discovers a large, ominous looking faun named Pan (Doug Jones), who tells her that she is in fact a princess whose return to the forest has been foretold for centuries.
To prove herself, and to prove her true identity, she must complete three tasks, which increase in difficulty as the film goes on.
There is of course some doubt all the way through the film as to whether Ofelia is really seeing these things, or if they are the overactive imaginings of a girl who reads fairy tales vociferously.
While this is going on, Vidal is tightening his control over the local community, only handing out very small rations to everyone else while keeping large stores of things for himself and his family.
The screenplay, written by Guillermo del Toro, is absolutely fantastic, balancing the mythological elements with the historical elements brilliantly. There are of course numerous parallels between Vidal’s control and the events of the real world with the events and challenges that the faun presents to Ofelia, and these are intertwined with incredible skill.
Of particular merit in this film is Guillermo Navarro’s stunning cinematography. The entire film is beautifully shot, with unique and confronting camera angles used to great effect. Light and dark, and particularly light and shadow, are used in great contrast to each other, giving an additional element to the story, and lifting seemingly simple moments to magnificent heights.
Despite the majority of the film taking place inside Ofelia’s mind, or at least being seen through her eyes, there are very few scenes shot from her point of view. In fact, I don’t recall noticing a single one. Instead, there are plenty of high-angle shots, and just as many wide shots that take in the entire scene, further adding to the confusion as to whether this really is just in her imagination.
Javier Navarrete’s score is deceptively simple, yet wonderfully effective and evocative. There is one simple theme that plays throughout the film, beginning in the darkness of the opening titles being hummed by a female voice, later being played by a small violin section, and later still being played by a larger ensemble. Each time, it is identifiable as the same theme, but its increasing ‘intensity’ (for want of a better word) highlights the increasing tension and suspense of the story, both in the real world and in Pan’s labyrinthine world.
Other than this theme, there are very few moments that are actually scored. However, these moments are just as well handled musically as they are cinematically, making for an incredibly unified piece.
The production design, by Eugenio Cabellero, is another area where this film absolutely shines. The sets and locations used are beautiful in their simplicity, and the forest and labyrinth almost become another character in themselves.
Lala Huete’s costumes are stunning, and perfectly evocative of a particular era of Spain’s recent history. Every outfit that any character wears at any point in the film is perfectly representative of both their inner and outer personalities, while at the same time, being so different at different moments of the story.
The performances of the entire cast are amazing, but particularly special mention should be made of the young star, Ivana Baquero. Despite her young age (she was only eleven when this film was made) and her relatively little screen experience at the time, she carries herself with incredible skill, and breathes so much life and so many conflicting emotions and curiosities into the character of Ofelia. Though the rest of the cast are big-name stars (particularly in the world of Spanish cinema), she is undoubtedly the star of this film, and she wears it magnificently.
Director Guillermo del Toro who, as you will recall from earlier in this review, also wrote the screenplay, has made an absolutely beautiful piece of cinematic art with this film. Every time I watch this, I notice more and more about it: little ‘gems’ that are hidden (to varying degrees) throughout that make it even more exciting with each viewing.
There is absolutely no rating that can do justice to this film other than a resounding 10 out of 10.
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