Written by Amir Scandar, New Media, DFI

Film: Pan’s Labyrinth
Year: 2006
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: IvaIvana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, and Sergi López
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

A delicate, sincere, and pure representation of humanity; Pan’s Labyrinth is a picture that decodes the symbols of innocence into a wonderful fairy tale.

Set in Spain during the 1944 revolution, a little girl called Ofelia along with her ill pregnant mother is forced to leave the city and go to the woods with her cruel stepfather. Ofelia hates the dark reality she is living in, and the harsh way her stepfather treats her. One day she meets a fairy, that leads her to an abandoned labyrinth, and there the magical tale begins.

The film beautifully covers all its angles starting from the plot to the images to the music.

Starting from a wide picture of the story including the revolution and developing into a narrower picture of pan; the film brilliantly leads the audience through the chapters of the story.

The pace of the film is very relaxed which allows you to breathe and comprehend the small signs given during the film. The establishing scenes of the characters are interestingly written, and the background stories of the characters were deeply analyzed and understood by the writer. We believe the characters and understand them. Their emotions are clear but not over dramatized.

The acting is spectacular. The actors have completely absorbed their characters emotionally, psychologically, and behaviorally; specially Ofelia and Mercedes the maid. Ivana Baquero who plays the role of Ofelia has successfully made us believe her and see the parallel world she lives in through her eyes. Her understanding of the emotional journey of the character is astonishing. In addition, her sense of the scene’s pace, and the technique between the actor and the green screen was remarkably impressive. She totally knew how to play her age; neither older nor younger. Regarding Maribel Verdú who played the role of Mercedes the maid, she made us believe that she is a made from the mid-40s. She didn’t act the character, but studied it very well, felt it, and then lived it.

I also admire the way Guillermo del Toro, the director, represents the faun in his story. Usually according to world mythologies fauns are scary, and mean creatures, but in this film the director made us feel safe and secured in the faun’s presence. The art production of the film is remarkably believable and unique, using a realistic color theme that united the two worlds and the imaginary limits of Ofelia.

Javier Navarrete did a great job understanding the mood of the film and scoring the best music for it. If you listen to the music, you will know the story even before watching it. You will find the soul of Ofelia and her world surrounding you.

What really touches me in the film is this absolute scent of purity in Ofelia’s aim, and the Platonic morality that lies within the philosophy of the story. Ofelia has created an imaginary world for herself. It’s a world in which there are no lies or pain; a world where the sun can blind her fear and erase the sadness of her memories; a world in which she is treated with justice and kind heart. The film leaves small traces of her inside everyone who sees it, but visible only to those who know where to look.