Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth has been on my list of films to watch for years and
I’ve finally got around to seeing it. I’ve had no excuse as my girlfriend
bought it at least two years ago and it has been sitting on my shelf gathering
dust ever since. I’ve found that Pan’s
Labyrinth is the sort of film that comes up in conversation with people who
generally don’t watch films that aren’t in English and won numerous awards upon
its release. My girlfriend is a big fan and though I enjoyed the effects and
historical side to the story, I wasn’t completely won over by it.In Fascist Spain a young girl called Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to leave her home and move to the countryside where he mother’s new husband is beating into submission the remnants of the anti-Fascist rebels. The girl has an affinity for fairytales and soon meets a fairy who takes her into a labyrinth. There she meets a goat like creature called a Fawn who tells her that she is a long lost Princess and must complete three tasks in order to be united with her Royal father. The fairytale is set against the backdrop of a vicious new regime made real by Ofelia’s new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez).
