Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

In Spain 1944, Ofelia, a young girl obsessed with fairy tales, is moved with her pregnant mother to live with a ruthless Spanish captain who is to be her new stepfather. During the night she meets a fairy who takes her to an ancient labyrinth where a faun tells her she is a Princess, and that her true family is waiting for her, but to prove this and join them she must perform three tasks. In the harsh and violent world around her, Ofelia desperately tries to succeed in these tasks so she can see her true father, the King again.

Arguably Del Torro's most well known film, Pan's Labyrinth blurs the distinction between reality and fantasy and attempts to show the heartbreaking effects of war and inhumanity on the innocent. Del Torro often uses children in his films to portray this innocence, he also does this in The Devil's Backbone. The film stars the excellent actors, Ivan Baquero as Ophelia, Sergi Lopez as the blunt and violent El Capitan, and Maribel Verdu as the comforting and kind Mercedes. In a way El Capitan is a figure of worldly evil in the same way that the Pale Man is a fantastical evil, this shows how although Ofelia sees the fantasy world as being an escape from her tragic life and a perfect place, it too has faults and dangers within it. The danger in the real world is of course the captain who does not care at all for Ofelia as she is a girl and would rather save his son than his wife.

I really enjoyed the film as it was dramatic and frightening so kept me interested the whole way through and I also liked how it makes the watcher uncomfortable on purpose at the right moments. The sheer violence in some of the scenes was disturbing but it was clear that Del Torro did this for effect which meant it was an interesting feature of the film. The Pale Man chasing Ofelia as the sand in the timer ran out and the door closed was also very stress inducing but this only adds to the sympathy for Ofelia as we will her to escape.

I liked the feature of it being a foreign film as I think its interesting to see how culturally different they are to English films and it is even better to watch when, after a while you forget you're reading subtitles and are just immersed in the story.

I would recommend the film for everyone as I think it is an excellent thriller as well as inducing thought into the true effects of war and violence particularly on the innocent and the children.