PAN'S LABYRINTH
Just... Just watch it already...
Back in the year 2012, a friend of mine suggested I would like Pan’s Labyrinth, the revered 2006 Guillermo del Toro film. Me being somewhat selective of the films I watch, however, I declined the initial invitation. The aforementioned friend, despite this, had apparently now made it his life’s mission to get me to watch this single, supposedly very strange, film. After months of being pestered over it, I finally borrowed his DVD and sat down at home to watch it. I have not stopped yammering on about the film since, much to the smug pleasure of that friend.
My friends and family all are well-aware of my intense praise of the film, as I often call it a masterpiece or the greatest example of why film is a glorious medium. The story of a young girl, Ofelia, and her mother moving in with the ruthless Captain Vidal in post-Civil War Spain focuses on the child as she is sent on a magical quest by a mysterious Faun. The film is filled to the brim with a mix of the horrors of war and the wonder of a fairytale without ever losing balance between the two. It looks amazing, sounds just as good, has some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever seen, and constantly evolves despite being a static story. When I recommend this film, I truly need you to understand that this film brings out the same wonder for the silver screen I had when I was a child. Del Toro’s creation is truly a powerful work of art.
When I look at a film, let alone my favorite film in this case, I tend to view its quality utilizing four different areas of concentration. To begin with, I look at the plot of the film. The story has to be coherent and accomplish something beyond merely wasting two hours of my time. The more it makes me reflect on and question my perspective of the world, the better. From there, I focus on the visuals. Jarring camera shots and dark lighting can make a film incomprehensible. Additionally, costumes and CGI can either be amazing or awful. I then focus on sound design, seeing if music fit and if audio cues worked. Finally, replay value is essential. If I can watch a film five times and find new things to love about it each time, I’ve found a winner.
The question is, how is the story of Pan’s Labyrinth? Well, describing the film is a difficult task. Imagine, if you would, a brutal and bloody war film focusing on the cruelty of those in power and the bravery of those willing to stand against such men. Now take that story and insert a young girl on a magical quest given to her by a 6’6” (very inhuman) faun. Now imagine that story makes perfect sense. Pan’s Labyrinth is predictable to a degree, at least in regard to the magical side of the plot. The formula is familiar, but far from unwelcomed when confronted with the dark realities that Captain Vidal encapsulates. I would love to go into more detail, but the plot is an experience. The constant back and forth the audience feels between shock and light tension is a great way of balancing this emotional roller coaster. I describe the film as a fairytale for adults; a bedtime story for those who no longer require adult supervision. It is an escape without ever dumbing itself down.
When it comes to visuals, Pan’s Labyrinth shines but has, in my mind, a large misstep. The colors are no misstep, however, as they divide the harsh reality from the glorious fantasy in a way that unconsciously signals these difference to the audience. The shots are beautifully composed and smooth, allowing perspective to feel Ofelia’s brave nature and Vidal’s strong, demanding presence. Costumes for the humans feel very real, grounded in the style of the time period it is set in, but the creatures are the true draw of the film. Most of the creatures in this work, ranging from The Faun to the infamous Pale Man, are costumes with incredible detail. The Faun, a gangly and gnarled goat-man with erratic movements and a contorted walking style, should be easy to recognize as a human wearing a costume in theory. And yet, he feels just as natural to Ofelia’s world as the grass and trees. The Pale Man is equally memorable, his gluttonous and ghostly figure drooping its way into your nightmares. I urge anyone who has never seen the film not to look up what this creature looks like. If you want to be genuinely scared by something that should be formulaic, going into this scene blind is perfect for you. But this film is not without its visual flaws, specifically a giant CGI toad. The issue with the creature is simply that it does not feel nearly as grounded as its fellow monsters. The fairies in the film, for example, are CGI, but they have held up. The toad feels like aged CGI, its tongue never seeming in the same world as Ofelia. Part CGI and part puppet, this is the one issue with the visuals in Pan’s Labyrinth. But it is a flaw easily forgiven by way of any of its fellow creatures.
When looking towards sound for Pan’s Labyrinth, I really don’t feel the need to speak too deep into it. The sound design is amazing. The music fits perfectly in a way that really brings out the mix of fear and wonder at any given time. Looking at the main theme, Long, Long Time Ago, you get the sense that the film is a fairytale but that something is off. This isn’t the fairytale you’re going to tuck your kids in with. This is the type of fairytale meant to scare you in all the right ways. Similarly, sound effects are very effective. When I hear the Pale Man shriek, I still feel a shiver down my spine. As a whole, the sound design is a lot like seeing a friend from high school years later: It’s something familiar, yet different in the best of ways.
The ability to re-watch a film is priceless to me, as it allows an entirely new experience every time I sit down to watch a story play out. Sometimes it’s finding new minute details that make me appreciate the work put into the film, such as the case of Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and sometimes it’s realizing that I must be a masochist to sit through an affront to the art of film twice, as I feel having seen Transformers exactly two times. Watching Pan’s Labyrinth is definitely more towards the prior. When I say I find something new to enjoy in each viewing, I mean that. I’ve noticed the design of The Faun to make it seem one with nature, the way the Pale Man’s body tells the story of a glutton deprived, the way the film expertly blurs the lines between fantasy and reality through reactions. If you’re not looking to turn your brain off for two hours, this film will give you something to freshen the experience in every viewing. If you are looking to turn your brain off for two hours, I hope you somehow enjoy your twenty second viewing of Jack and Jill. But truly, Pan’s Labyrinth is a cinematic event that cannot be fully experienced in a single viewing.
If I haven’t made it clear by now, Pan’s Labyrinth is the movie I whole-heartedly refer to as the best movie I have ever seen. Its plot, sound design, camera work, costuming, and replay value are all amazing. While its CGI has not aged gracefully, it is a small oversight in a movie I otherwise call perfect. If you haven’t seen this film, see it. If you have, see it again. If you’ve gotten all you can get out of it, you’re only lying to yourself and this brilliant film. Happy viewing.