Saw PAN'S LABYRINTH this afternoon with Paris Jen. So not a fairy tale for children! But what an extraordinary and spectacular tale of creepy fantasy for adults! Part war story, part fantastic adventure, in this film, director Guillermo del Toro (MIMIC, DEVIL'S BACKBONE, HELLBOY) does an excellent job of creating and marrying the mundane repressive reality of Franco-ruled Spain at the close of World War II and the fantastic fairy tale world of a child alone in that reality.Don't get me wrong. By no means am I saying that the supernatural creatures and events in the story are to be dismissed as figments of her imagination. In my opinion, there's no story or little girl screwed up enough to come up with some of the things you'll encounter in this film. =)
A little girl who prefers her storybooks to the real world, Ofelia (who can call up that magic willfulness and courage that I remember in THE PROFESSIONAL's Mathilda and CITY OF LOST CHILDREN's Minuet), travels with her pregnant mother to join her new stepfather at his military post in Northern Spain. The Captain (an excellent heartless fascist in a crisp uniform) and his men are stationed there to eliminate pockets of resistance fighters who attack from the forests. Not the best environment for a woman to give birth, but the Captain is insistent that a boy should be born wherever his father is. You might already see why young Ofelia resists her mother's requests to address him as "Father," eh?
Upon arriving at the camp, a commandeered farm, Ofelia runs off on her own, following a little winged creature—whom she decides must be a fairy—to the entrance of a moss and ivy overgrown, stone walled, labyrinth. The servant girl and Ofelia's new confidante, Mercedes (I remember her lovely goodness from Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN), explains to her that it's been around forever (surprise surprise).
Later that night, Ofelia is woken by her fairy friend and coaxed to get out of bed and enter the stone maze. With the help of her winged guide, she navigates safely to the center and discovers the entrance to an underground chamber. In it she encounters the labyrinth's keeper, who explains to her that she has a very special destiny, that she is, in fact, the princess of an underground kingdom, reborn as a mortal girl.
The keeper explains to her that she must pass a series of tests to prove her soul is still pure, coated as it is in its human candy shell. While Ofelia attempts to pass these tests, she must also protect and care for her ailing mother, as well as keep Mercedes's secret—she clandestinely aids her brother, who helps lead the resistance. Little by little, the Captain uncovers treachery within his own camp, and when he witnesses some of Ofelia's inexplicable fairy tale behavior, the escalating conflicts with the rebels and his devotion to order cause him to mark his own stepdaughter a potential enemy.
Wacky fun ensues!
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Wanted to give a shout out (a phrase I can just *barely* get myself to put in writing, but just don't ever see myself actually speaking) to everyone who's donated and sponsored so far...So, to Matt, Kathy, Hilary, Neeeeal, T, Jim, Jessie, Rowan, In, and Camstar—i Gracias mucho por su ayuda !
Also, to those who are counting, for Watch-A-Thon fundraising purposes, movies seen at the Brattle count as 2 films watched, while movies seen on other screens count as 1. Unless I mention "official count" or something similar, when I post "Watch-A-Thon movie #" I'll just be counting movies watched, period, without any multipliers.
Keep on keepin on~
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