Weekly Review -- Tortured beauty

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) -- In today's era of gore, crass humor, sequels, prequels and who-knows-what-quels, rare are the times when one actually has a chance to connect with a film emotionally. Rare is a film that captures you, stays in your mind and does not let go; even more of a rarity is a film that takes one part of your soul, which you have willingly given away. A haunting work of cinematic beauty, this Guillermo del Toro masterpiece does all this and more, taking the audience on a journey from innocence to evil to solace to agony and back again. 

In 1944 Spain, imaginative Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) travels to the countryside with her mother (Ariadna Gil), who has just married a vicious army officer (Sergi López). Through her thoughts and the stories she is reading, she soon creates a fantasy world which helps her escape her harsh surroundings. She becomes more and more immersed in it, while the reality around her is disintegrating... 

The film is a true work of art. The set design and creature design is striking and inspired, while the splendid cinematography alternates from monochrome darkness to vigilant incandescence, adding to the sense of the principal character's isolation. The screenplay, written by del Toro, explores the story with truthful poignancy, weaving Ofelia's penchant and desire for escapism with the horror of the era.

The acting is marvelous. Baquero is sympathetic as Ofelia, the child thrust into circumstances beyond her grasp, who uses her daydreams to create her own realm of bearable existence. There are some very good supporting turns, including López's Captain Vidal -- evil personified and thankfully fictional, as much as we know that World War II was an assembly line of Vidals. 

This is all that I am going to say about this film, since it is a work that one needs to discover for themselves. Pan's Labyrinth is unlike anything that you have ever seen. It is quite simply the best film of 2006, one that will speak to your heart and one that you will never forget.

10/10