Ok guys, we have finally sworn in the new president. Let's let him get settled. In the mean, it's time for another movie recommendation. I can recommend all sorts of movies, but I'm trying to talk about ones that you might not have seen, but should. Today, I thought, do we need a "chick flick" or something with a bit more meat to it. I decided it's a meat day. I found a very good review on www.sledgeweb.com. Rather than me butchering the synopsis, I'm going to borrow a bit from it. :)
In 2006, movie came out called Pan's Labryinth. It was critically acclaimed, but not a lot of people saw it. Labyrinth was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. This film won three Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup. Don't let that lead you to believe this is just an f/x movie though, at the heart of Pan's Labyrinth is a beautifully tragic story about a little girl, Ofelia, who escapes the disturbing world around her into a fantasy whose frightening characters pale in comparison to her real world demons.
Labyrinth is like a much darker, grown up version of Narnia. It's been described as a fairy tale for adults. We tend to think of fairy tales today as nice bedtime children's stories, but at their root, fairy tales have always been about our fears. Del Toro expertly contrasts the fears we face in our real world, versus the fears Ofelia faces in her fantasy reality. In the end, Labyrinth contrasts innocence with evil, and asserts that while evil may temporarily overcome innocence, in the end, it is innocence itself that destroys evil.
The harshness of the subject matter is balanced by the beautiful cinematography, which lends a sublime dreamlike quality to the story. Indeed, the entire art direction of the movie is near perfect. Labyrinth is one of those rare accomplishments that becomes more than just a film, it is a piece of art - skillfully stitched together and succeeding on several levels. It stands as a masterpiece of imagination and creativity, and begs the viewer to move around it in order to view it's construction from different perspectives (as any good piece of art does).
In addition to the themes and psychology of fantasy, reality, and fear, Pan's Labyrinth is also deeply involved in examining human relationships. Ofelia is dragged into a terrifying situation when her pregnant, and sickly, mother marries a Spanish Captain (a personification of evil) out of necessity. Forced to live together, Ofelia struggles to resolve her inner emotional conflict between the step-father she despises, the mother she loves, and the unborn brother she comforts by speaking stories to. Her struggle to resolve the relationships around her lead Ofelia into a fantasy world, full of disturbing characters and very real danger. There, she learns that she is a princess from an underground kingdom, who's soul has been lost for ages. In order to reclaim her throne, she must overcome three challenges submitted to her by an aged faun in order to prove her soul is still intact. Is this fantasy world real? Or, is it a protective creation of her psyche? Del Toro leaves this question to be resolved individually by the viewer.
There was only one scene that I found to be truly disturbing but, in this case, the violence is necessary to demonstrate the evil and harsh real world situation in which Ofelia finds herself. In addition to the violence, the fantasy realm deals with some very disturbing creatures and situations that you may find scary. This is not a film to watch with small kids. The movie is in Spanish, and subtitled in English. It is rated R. It
If you like fantasy, and like films that actually have a good story at their core, I highly recommend Pan's Labyrinth. Check it out, and let me know what you think
C
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