Review: 'Pan's Labyrinth' is a dark masterpiece

"Pan's Labyrinth" is a violent and dark masterpiece.

Having heard that this film earned a 20-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, I placed it on my list of must-see cinema. I was not disappointed. The film far exceeded every expectation; however, a 20-minute standing ovation would have been a little over the top.

This film is definitely not appropriate for children. Although the fantasy sequences are magnificently realized and are fairy tales in the truest sense being dangerous, fey, dark and violent, most of the story exists outside of this dreamland, in the even more frightening and violent world of 1944 and the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

"Pan's Labyrinth" opens with a momentary shot of Ofelia's blood from a nosebleed disappearing as the frames are run in reverse. The film then goes back a few months to Ofelia and her pregnant mother arriving at a nationalist military base in the woods, where she is introduced to her stepfather, the brutal and vicious Capitán Vidal.

Ivana Baquero, who was 11 years old during the filming, plays Ofelia and delivers the finest and most convincing role I have ever seen portrayed by someone of her age. There are no adequate superlatives to describe her performance. Ill-at-ease in her new surroundings, fearful of her stepfather and desperately concerned about the worsening condition of her mother, Ofelia retreats into a magical alternative world and the opportunity to forever escape the pain and uncertainty that dominate her life.

Sergi Lopez is perfection as the arrogant, sociopath Capitán Vidal who is tasked with routing out the remaining Republicans from the woods and hills of Northern Spain. He carries out his work with a sadistic and cold-blooded disdain for life.

Maribel Verdú portrays Mercedes, the nursemaid, a woman of enormous strength and inner power. Her performance would be pure Oscar material were this not a foreign film.

The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular. Rich colors abound, and bold camera work keeps the viewer rooted in the story, whether it is Ofelia crawling face-down in the mud and covered with insects or a hapless victim having his face smashed in by the Capitán. Yet, the scenes of tenderness and beauty are equally as moving and memorable, whether it be Ofelia retreating into her mother's arms, the nursemaid powerless to help her Republican brother or a doctor performing an act of mercy. The editing is crisp; not a frame is wasted.

"Pan's Labyrinth" reveals a world of fairy tales which existed before Disney emasculated them and made them politically correct - a dangerous world, where nothing is as it seems and every step is a possible death - a place which could even leave adults shivering under the covers at night, part in terror, part in wonder.

"Pan's Labyrinth" delivers moving vignettes of the journey of Spanish society from the 1940s to post-Franco times, of a dark and fey fairytale of stunning beauty, of a story of the struggle of a child on the edge of puberty and of a tense tale of battles between Spanish Nationalists and Republicans. It is a remarkable achievement to have welded all of these together seamlessly, providing a multi-level narrative and enthralling experience.

A vast amount is hidden in plain sight, creating a cascade of epiphanies that occur long after the credits have come and gone. This is a film that many will view more than once, exploring the richness of the story.