(119 min, 2006)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones and Ariadna Gil
More Info: In Spanish however English subtitles available
Not a fairy-tale for children!
Ofelia is the young step-daughter to a sadistic Army Captain in 1944's fascist Spain. She makes contact with a fairy who guides her to an old faun in the ruins of a labyrinth. He believes she is the reincarnation of their beloved princess however, to prove herself she must first undergo three difficult tasks. Failing these will mean she is not their Princess and will never see her father, the King, again.
Doug Jones portrays both the Faun and the Pale Man in the film, having already starred as Abe Sapien in del Toro's Hellboy and it's sequel. The director allegedly sent Jones an email in regards to playing Pan saying "You must be in this film. No one else can play this part but you". Jones' characters are incredibly brought to life through both his wonderful acting and their imaginative costumes. Doug Jones stands at over six foot in height however he had to wear stilts as the Faun, increasing his height to almost seven foot. How he managed to still deliver a convincing performance whilst focussing on balancing is beyond me. Throughout the film, I found myself asking what are the Faun's true intentions? Were he real, he could act as a vehicle to help Ofelia escape from the oppression of the Captain and horror of her life however his tale is too far-fetched for reality. This contrast is played upon throughout the entire film, even the ending, causing you to speculate further whilst leaving the cinema.
I found the film surprisingly focussed on war and shockingly violent at times; I almost felt uncomfortable during some scenes. Captain Vidal was played surprisingly well by Sergi Lopez who previously had mainly starred in comedic roles. The character was so wonderfully written that even his tortured relationship with his father failed to evoke any empathy from me. Also, the actress who played Ofelia was remarkable. For an eleven year old to produce such a haunting, convincing performance is amazing; del Toro definitely picked the right actress. It's nice to see child actors getting to do more of the heavy acting jobs as opposed to being restricted to children's films. The gruesome violence witnessed through a child's perspective really brings an awareness to the atrocities of war and juxtaposes the innocence of Ofelia with the sinister cruelty of Captain Vidal.
Do not be fooled, this isn't anything like Jim Henson's film Labyrinth (1986) starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. That is a light hearted adventure aimed at children whereas Guillermo del Toro has produced a beautiful, haunting story proving fairy tales aren't exclusively for children.
I found the film surprisingly focussed on war and shockingly violent at times; I almost felt uncomfortable during some scenes. Captain Vidal was played surprisingly well by Sergi Lopez who previously had mainly starred in comedic roles. The character was so wonderfully written that even his tortured relationship with his father failed to evoke any empathy from me. Also, the actress who played Ofelia was remarkable. For an eleven year old to produce such a haunting, convincing performance is amazing; del Toro definitely picked the right actress. It's nice to see child actors getting to do more of the heavy acting jobs as opposed to being restricted to children's films. The gruesome violence witnessed through a child's perspective really brings an awareness to the atrocities of war and juxtaposes the innocence of Ofelia with the sinister cruelty of Captain Vidal.
Do not be fooled, this isn't anything like Jim Henson's film Labyrinth (1986) starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. That is a light hearted adventure aimed at children whereas Guillermo del Toro has produced a beautiful, haunting story proving fairy tales aren't exclusively for children.
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