Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, in post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo, Roger Casamajor and Manolo Solo.
Time and time again Guillermo del Toro has proved his skill at harnessing darkness and using it to add layers to his adventurous tales, and twenty years later, Pan’s Labyrinth remains one of the most brilliant examples. As soon as you enter the film, you’re struck by its dense atmosphere of fear, foreboding and mystery. It manages to exist within reality but is also something much more, as is the case with all of del Toro’s films. Something that stands out even more when it’s accompanied by such a terrific score, in this case by Javier Navarrete. It makes an incredibly bold first impression and then that intriguing, compelling, mysterious tone is so beautifully consistent throughout.
Another aspect del Toro achieves especially well is making violence shocking. It’s something that’s been used so frequently and passionately in cinema that we become desensitised to it, and yet the way that del Toro uses it is different. The timing and forcefulness of those brief moments of blood and gore are effortlessly effective. They’re delivered with such a casual cruelty and a harsh reality, rather than in a strictly traditional horror manner.
A big part of that is how del Toro brings through strong themes of culture, history and politics within his films. He captures that authoritarian presence and a rebellious collective really well, to craft a story that can be the best of both worlds, capturing the experience of war while also creating a fairy tale. His imagination blends with reality in a unique way. Imagination is really a key element with Pan’s Labyrinth, it’s filled with unbridled creativity. The design is excellent, the detail to its creatures and worlds is so fascinating to watch unfold. Particularly because it makes no attempt to be pretty or conventional, it’s weird and freaky, and exceptionally original.
All of that is impressive on its own but to then have the film led by such a young actress, takes it to another level. Ivana Baquero’s performance in Pan’s Labyrinth is iconic and will forever be ingrained in the mind of countless cinema fans. Her curiosity and love of her mother and father is wonderful to watch, she’s a gem of a character and Baquero brings her to live in such a wonderful way. She’s then supported by a stunning ensemble, Maribel Verdú as Mercedes brings so much strength, Ariadna Gil as Carmen has so much vulnerability and heartbreak, while Sergi López adds those deeply ruthless, callous notes.
Pan’s Labyrinth’s legacy lives on for very good reason, it remains one of the best fantasy films ever made. Guillermo del Toro is a master of cinema, and this film captures so many reasons why he’s such a phenomenal writer and director. It’s stunningly shot, the detail to the aesthetic is almost hypnotic to watch unfold, the texture and palette of its colours so perfectly match its tone. It has a strong connection to nature and history, but also to imagination. It captures a traditional feel of good versus evil, without ever feeling traditional in itself, it is absolutely original and it never gets tired, no matter how many times you see it, so the 4K restoration is a perfect excuse to either revisit it or discover it for the first time.
