It's been a long time since I cried during a movie.
But when tears nearly streamed down my face last night, they weren't tears of anguish. No they were tears of joy from the beautiful ending to Pan's Labyrinth. But perhaps, I should start from the beginning.
It's 1944 in the years after the Spanish Civil War. Ofelia is riding with her pregnant mother to her stepfather's fort. Her stepfather is a Fascist captain who wants to wipe out the remnants of the pro-democracy forces in the forests. During all this, Ofelia learns that she might be the reincarnation of the Princess of the Underworld. She is given three tasks to perform to see if she is still worthy of being put in this important role.
The film unfolds like a fairy tale straight from the Brothers Grimm. The stepfather is wicked. We have tasks to perform with fanciful creatures. And just with the Brothers Grimm, this fairy tale isn't for children. There is extremely graphic violence in some places, mostly showing how sadistic and cruel the Captain is.
What's startling is that I believe this is a totally original story by the director Guillermo del Toro. He has directed many films but the ones most known to American audiences are probably the pleasant surprise comic book adaptations of Hellboy and Blade II. This is how to do fantasy properly. It's hard to explain but let's illustrate the differences between Pan's Labyrinth and Shyamalan's spectacular misfire of Lady in the Water. Every time Lady in the Water talks about narfs or scrunts or whatever the hell other creatures, my brother and I rolled our eyes and laughed. While I'm watching Pan's Labyrinth, as they explain to keep the mother alive that a mandrake root must be placed in a saucer of warm milk and fed two drops of blood a day, I nod in agreement. Why is one a success and the other not? I'm not able to put it into words. I guess it's just that one's filmmaking draws you in more than the other. And that's extremely important in fantasy. If you aren't able to draw the audience in and draw them in quick, you risk having your story be embarassing to watch.
I don't want to spoil it any so I will not explain any more of the plot. I urge everyone to see Pan's Labyrinth if it is playing in your area ASAP. A few disclaimers. As I said it, just because it's a fantastic fairy tale doesn't mean it's suitable if you don't like violence or movies typically rated R. Because, yes, Pan's Labyrinth is rated R. And I can vouch that it earns the rating. Also, the movie is in Spanish. I don't feel this is a huge problem (especially because it is a very visual movie) but I do know some people have a hatred of reading subtitles. I know some who won't even watch a film with subtitles. I think these people are missing out, but I just need to make that clear so if you go see this, you're not cursing me because you don't want to read dialogue and listen to Spanish for two hours. But please give it a chance because this is one of the best films of 2006. And I think if you go in with an open mind, then you may become a little teary-eyed as well.
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