Pan's Labyrinth

I had gotten wind of Pan's Labyrinth ever since I had heard Guillermo Del Toro was postponing making a sequel to Hellboy for his dream project. Obviously, I was intrigued. For almost a year, I had been raring to watch this film. Expectations were undeniably heightened. I finally watched the film a few hours ago. I am writing this review of sorts now because I believe I have sufficiently digested what it had to offer to be able to write about it.

The premise is pretty straightforward. Ofelia and her pregnant mother moves to another place to be with her mother's new husband, a captain in the spanish army. With her reality becoming more oppressive with each passing day, she retreats into the world she loves so much-the world of fairies, fauns and kings.

As I had mentioned earlier, my expectations for this movie had been raised to monumental levels. Whenever that happens, I normally end up being disappointed in the film. I am sure you all , like me always expect something dazzlingly new every time we see another film. And more often than not,we expect brilliance in the obvious-the story.Lately my concentration has been fragmented and that took away from the viewing pleasure. I hope to get over that soon. And the added expectation had me initially thinking that it was too straightforward. The film runs two stories parallelly. The story about Ofelia being the lost princess of the underworld which is her fantasy (or is it?) and the story of her reality. Additionally there is also the story of the guerilla forces. I must admit, a part of me was feeling..more , more - there should be more. But then we sometimes forget to look at what is there, when we are too busy whetting our apetites. By now, you are probably thinking-why doesnt he get on with it? Did he like it? Hate it? The only reason I am writing this long winded review is also so that I can align my thoughts properly. Bear with me. Or else read the last few lines.

Once I saw the last scene, my eyes were a tad teary. Yes, I am a big cry baby when it comes to movies. As a friend of mine says, I cry at everything! Oh well- When we think fairytales we think bright colours, easily solvable problems, happy endings. We think stories for children which really entertain and teach without scaring them. But this film, is a rare breed. Let me be very clear on this. This is NOT for children at all. It is also not for the faint hearted. Some scenes are so gruesome it made me cringe and think was it really required. More on that soon. Ofelia's fantasy world is shown in dark, muted colors ( Me LOVEY!) yet it doesnt feel claustrophobic. Whereas her reality has a dominance of the blue, and feels immensely oppressive. Once I had seen the entire film, I realized that keeping with the tone of the film, the violence wasn't uncalled for- it wasn't used to tiltilate, rather to make the horrors of her reality starkly apparent. The acting was top notch and everyone fit into their roles like a glove. Personally I felt this was a bigger credit to the writing that anything else. Although I must mention that Sergi López' Capitán Vidal is one of the few onscreen villains I have hated so passionately.Ivana Baquero as Ofelia was awesome too. To be honest I didnt find any actor out of place. They were all great. Now of course for what Del Toro is famous for. The freaky creatures and the special effects. I must say, bravo. From the faun to the pale man, they looked so amazing that words fail me. This also due to the reason that Guillermo prefers to use organic effects than CGI and unlike many filmmakers doesnt let the CGI loose like a rabid dog upon an unsuspecting audience.

In the end, this film talks about the the horrors of war through the eyes of a girl in such a unique fashion, that it transcends genres. The american cut of the trailer had many thinking it was a complete fairytale, or a horror film- which caused many to be disappointed. But Del Toro has done something I dont think has been done before(and I dont find the LOTR films worthy of consideration). This is a fairytale with such a vital dose of grim reality that it can only be termed as a fairy tale for grown ups, for those who havn't forgotten their childhood memories and yet are also aware of the grim reality of our world. I may be wrong, but barring The City of Lost Children, I cant think of any other film which is in the same category, let alone in its same class. A true masterpiece. Incidentally till yesterday Children of Men was in my opinion the best film of 2006 (I have not seen Babel and Blood Diamond yet but soon). But Pan firmly takes it place at the top. For it's sheer uniqueness, its grim tones and its fantastic storytelling. We should thank Guillermo for such a fine piece of work.
P.S.- Looking forward to his take on Tarzan- the Lord of the Jungle in 2009. Yahoo! Only one year till Hellboy 2!!
Guillermo, sir if you are reading this? I am a film student, I have made a few short films and I would love to work under you. I can work really hard, I eat very less(lie) and am an insomniac! Think of me as third world labour! Can I? Call me! or email me! Please?
Some of you may be laughing but I am dead serious-you never know.