An intense collage of fantasy, history, horror, adventure and sexual awakening, Pan’s Labyrinth is a lyrical yet brutal unfold of a narrative, an early feature from multi-award winning director, Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley).
Set in 1944 Spain and Franco’s fascist repression of the republican movement, a young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero – Gelo, Another Me) finds solace in her books as she leaves the city to live in an army camp run by her stepfather, the sadistic Captain Vidal (Sergi López – A Perfect Day, El Niño). With her mother (Ariadna Gil – Alatriste, Belle Epoque) pregnant and the camp threatened by armed insurgents, Ofelia loses herself in her own fairytale fantasies of being the reborn princess of the underworld.
A multi-layered metaphor of a narrative, Pan’s Labyrinth is a sublime piece of visual and aural storytelling.
Nominated for 6 Oscars in 2007 including best foreign language film, original script, won 3 for art direction, cinematography & makeup.
Rating: 77%
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