Guillermo
del Toro, the highly acclaimed director and writer of the Devil’s
Backbone, Cronos, and Hellboy, once again brings to the theater a
tale of dazzling and mystical intrigue.
Pans Labyrinth, Set in postwar Spain in 1944, Franco’s fascist
regime has assumed a dominant stance over the guerilla rebels of the
Spanish resistance.
Vidal, a captain in Franco’s totalitarian regime, has set up
a small outpost in the Spanish country and is impatiently awaiting
the arrival of his wife Carmen and stepdaughter Ofelia.
Carmen, pregnant with Vidal’s son, arrives and is greeted by
a seemingly pleased Captain Vidal. Unbeknownst to her, his pleasant
façade masks his only true concern, the living legacy she carries
in her womb.
All the while, despite difficulty within her family and the war that
surrounds them, Ofelia, who covets her collection of fairy tales despite
her mother’s disapproval, will find hope in a story long forgotten.
Ofelia discovers that she herself is part of an ancient fable that
lives on only in the hopes of her return. Deep in a garden labyrinth
located just outside the outpost, Ofelia discovers that she is a princess
whose soul is destined to return to rule in an enchanted realm.
Here the odyssey of Ofelia begins to unravel and almost immediately
viewers are transported into a realm where effervescent nymphs and
slight fauns are no more outlandish than moss growing on a stone.
It is a place where a piece of chalk can make a way where there is
no way, and where the blank pages of a book can tell tales grander
than the binding that holds them together.
Here in this wonderland of imagination, Ofelia is able to find solace
from the captain, her ailing mother and the harsh realities of life
under the regime. Del Toro once again show’s us how masterful
his aptitude for storytelling is, combining both historical and mythological
elements so seamlessly and creating a place that everyone can easily
escape to.
With an all star cast (including Ivana Baquero and Maribel Verdu)
and a number of memorable characters such as the noble faun, the foreboding
pale man, and the monstrous toad, Pan’s Labyrinth, winner of
numerous awards and 6 academy award nominations (including best cinematography
and best original screenplay) is a modern day masterpiece sure to
delight even the most prudent moviegoers.
It is, to say the least, an enchanting journey into the mind of a
man who is sure to captivate audiences for years to come.
