IF YOU go down to the woods tonight you're unlikely to encounter anything quite as rich, strange or plain scary as this genre-mashing magic-realist thriller from the visionary Mexican director of Cronos and Hellboy. Shot in Spain and set in the bitter aftermath of the Civil War, Pan's Labyrinth is...
IF YOU go down to the woods tonight you’re unlikely to encounter anything quite as rich, strange or plain scary as this genre-mashing magic-realist thriller from the visionary Mexican director of Cronos and Hellboy.
Shot in Spain and set in the bitter aftermath of the Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark cousin of Alice In Wonderland that pointedly contrasts the evils of human beings above ground with the creepy supernatural beasts below.
Ivana Baquero is terrific as Ofelia, a bookish young girl who is lured into a mysterious subterranean kingdom while her widowed mother Carmen (Ariadne Gil) struggles with her bullying new fiance, Vidal. Played by Sergi Lopez, Vidal is a sadistic Captain in Franco’s army who thinks nothing of torturing innocent villagers in pursuit of anti-fascist partisans.
Pan’s Labyrinth is unashamedly a fantasy yarn, but freighted with enough political subtext and visceral human cruelty to transcend the genre’s geekboy reputation. Admittedly some of Ofelia’s underworld digressions threaten to slow down a meandering plot, while Vidal veers perilously close to pantomime caricature. But viewed through the melodramatic eyes of a lonely girl, Del Toro’s visually ravishing fairy tale makes perfect sense, hits all the right gothic notes, and ends on a satisfying emotional crescendo.
STEPHEN DALTON