Pan’s Labyrinth
A Quick Search on IMDB: Pan’s Labyrinth was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and released in 2006.
Before the Viewing: Going into this, I had a feeling I would like this movie. I’m a sucker for horror and I really enjoy Guillermo del Toro as a person. The only movies of his I’ve seen are Crimson Peak and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the latter of which was mostly talked over, as I was at a friend’s slumber party in middle school. But more importantly, I loved del Toro’s role as Pappy McPoyle in those episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Del Toro gives me older-relative-who-tells-you-the-best-stories-at-the-family-party vibes. He’s an adorable man with adorable glasses, but he also loves his creepy shit. What more could a girl ask for?
As for the story, I knew it had something to do with a girl and monsters. I had seen clips of that thing with the eyes on its hands, and had a friend who told me they wanted to get it tattooed on them. Oh, and I knew that it was told in Spanish. That’s basically it.
The reason I picked Pan’s Labyrinth to be my first blog post under this moniker is because the infamous Mr. B highly recommended it to me and it’s taken me forever to actually watch it. He had given me a laundry list of things to watch and explicitly told me that if I only did one of those things, it should be to watch this film. Well over a year later, I’m finally doing it.
After the Viewing: My initial response to the end of the movie was, “Wow, that was beautiful.” Swiftly followed by, “What the hell took me so long to watch that?”
Pan’s Labyrinth is an absolutely gorgeous film with a sweet yet scary story along with it. It tells the story of Ofelia, who may or may not be the reincarnation of Princess Moanna of the Underworld, and the tests she must pass in order to return home.
At risk of sounding like Stefon from Saturday Night Live, this film has everything: fauns, fairies, a giant toad living under a tree, risky pregnancy, the world’s worst step-father, a heartwarming interclass/intergenerational relationship, and quite a bit of blood.
Things I Loved: If there is a plucky young girl in anything I’m watching, she is automatically my favorite. I adored Arya Stark (until Game of Thrones was ruined), idolized Hermione Granger growing up, and absolutely fell in love with the character of Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth. Her determination to pass the faun’s tests made me re-evaluate a lot of things about myself. The love she has for her mother and unborn brother was beautiful to see on the screen. And her courage in the face of adversity, such as her treatment from Captain Vidal, was truly inspiring. I can only hope that young Emily would have been that amazing — although, young Emily would have listened when the faun said not to eat anything in the Pale Man’s lair. But no one’s perfect.
The relationship between Mercedes, the housekeeper, and Ofelia is such a joy to see pan out. I believe that Mercedes sees a lot of herself in the young girl she catches at the door to the labyrinth, and their bond reminds me a lot of the one I had with my English teacher, Mrs. R, in high school. Ofelia loves Mercedes in such a way that she won’t sell her out when she discovers that Mercedes is betraying Vidal, and Mercedes loves Ofelia enough that when she escapes, she attempts to take the young girl along with her.
The creepy factor in this film was fantastic. The fairies are not your average pretty creatures with wings, the faun is no Mr. Tumnus, and the Pale Man is absolutely terrifying. Yes, yes, the chase scene is nightmare-inducing, but the imagery of his flabby, naked body sitting still at the table was what unsettled me the most. Goosebumps and raised hair, indeed.
Things I Could Have Done Without: Okay, this is a very small nitpick, but sweet Lord, I hate the heavy breathing sounds. I understand why there’s so much in this movie, as there’s a lot of tension in many of the scenes, but I personally don’t want to hear it. The heavy breathing makes me uncomfortable in the way that ASMR makes my skin crawl. But, honestly, that’ s my only complaint about this film.
In Conclusion: I sincerely apologize to Mr. B for taking forever to watch Pan’s Labyrinth. It was a tight story, but it made me wonder, “Is Ofelia really Princess Moanna or is this just a young girl’s fantasy?” And I love thought-provoking shit.
It had a stellar cast, a gorgeous soundtrack, and a plot that was so simple and beautiful at the same time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it, and now I’m very glad that I finally have.
