by Josh Boris
COLUMNIST
Although Walla Walla wasn’t graced with its presence until 2007, “Pan’s Labyrinth” was one of the critical darlings of 2006 and made many top ten lists despite its late release. Directed by famed Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro, whose works run the gamut from mainstream Hollywood fare (“Hellboy” and “Blade II”) to more esoteric works (“Cronos” and “The Devil’s Backbone”), “Pan’s Labyrinth” was one of the widely anticipated films of 2006 for movie buffs. I had been waiting for the film for about a year when it suddenly landed on my doorstep here in good old Walla Walla. I wasn’t disappointed.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” takes place in the Spanish countryside as the Spanish Civil War is slowly dying down and Franco’s army is weeding out the last remnants of the anti-fascist guerrillas. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a precocious, fairy-tale obsessed child, is taken by her newly remarried and pregnant mother to live with her new father, the brutal Captain Vidal (Sergi López). When Ofelia discovers a fairy in her room, it takes her to an ancient labyrinth where she finds a faun (Doug Jones) who informs her that she is the long lost heir to the throne of an underground kingdom. Ofelia must perform three tasks before the next full moon in order to return to her kingdom, but she is hampered by the increasingly violent and turbulent struggle between Vidal and the anti-fascists.
Although the plot synopsis seems to place this film firmly in the realm of “fantasy,” Del Toro also has a keen sense for the historical and the majority of the film revolves around the wicked Vidal and his vicious attempts to make all “traitors” suffer. However, Del Toro also excellently weaves the two worlds together as each reflects the other; we see many fairy tale tropes in the “real” world (the evil “king” with his fairytale-esque quirks) and many plot points from the “real” world infect the “fantasy” world (such as the motif of trickery and deceit). The cinematography (especially as concerns the fantasy world) is gorgeous, and though the Spanish Civil War is one that the majority of the American populace isn’t familiar with, Del Toro adds just enough character to place it historically, but doesn’t get bogged down in details that may alienate unfamiliar viewers. On top of all this, the acting is spot-on, as each actor has just the right amount of reservation or passion their character calls for.
Potential viewers should know that the film is in Spanish and subtitled, but I didn’t find it distracting in the least. The film is quite dark, and some parts are quite gruesome. Some may be put off by the fact that it mixes a children’s fairy tale with violent and adult themes, but really, if you were to go back and look at Grimm’s Fairy Tales, they’re darker than anything you’d find in here. While I had some minor problems with the film, they’re really just quibbles that allow for good debate with friends.
Del Toro has taken some risks in making a foreign, adult fairy tale, but he should rest assured that the result is stunning and memorable. Also, an Oscar nomination for best foreign film doesn’t hurt either. We’ve gotten lucky in Walla Walla recently, as great films such as “Children of Men” have come in, but while you may have many choices, it’d be a bad idea to overlook such an outstanding film as “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
