07 Apr 07
Pan's Labyrinth Film
Few films are actually deserving of the title "Best Film of the Year", only one per year actually. But despite the label being tossed around by every film critic around this time of year, Pan's Labyrinth is far and away worthy of such praise.
Mexican movie making maestro, Guillermo del Toro has written and directed a modern fairy tale which, like the Brother's Grimm stories, is dark, gruesome, and yet magical. The film is in Spanish with subtitles, but please don't let that put you off. Set against the backdrop of fascist northern Spain in 1944, the film is partly the fantasy adventures of a young girl's exploration of a labyrinthine underworld, and part war film where the young girls step father is a sadistic captain of Spain's Civil Guard, stationed in a remote countryside outpost hell-bent on obliterating a small Republican militia.
The film has so far received almost universal critical acclaim, and numerous film awards, including Oscars for Cinematography, Makeup, and Art Direction, and BAFTA awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Costume Design, and Makeup and Hair.
The film is a fairytale about monsters, and war, in a world where the monsters are rarely found to be as bad as mankind. I must admit that the torture and war scenes are particularly nasty, although it is the atmosphere and style that makes them so tough, rather than anything too grisly being on screen. That said, the girlfriend buried her head in my shoulder and refused to come out until the nasty bits had finished- so take from that what you will. Like most foreign films, the movie doesn't end the way Hollywood "one size fits all" films go, which is why I adore watching them.
Although I saw this film a few weeks ago, I simply cannot shake it from my mind. The haunting music, the terrifying yet strangely beautiful monsters, and the horrors of the war makes this film, as unforgettable as it is unmissable. Seriously I know foreign films put many people off, but trust me most of the time you don't even need the subtitles as the pictures alone carry the story.
Pan's Labyrinth