Cory Massimino

Short Review: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

October 22, 2020 by Cory

★★★★½

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is an endlessly imaginative, oddball fantasy-coming-of-age story that takes place against the backdrop of Fascist Spain and seamlessly blends influences such as classic literature like Alice in Wonderland, European folklore, children’s fairytales, gothic body horror, and world religions. It’s a movie that really takes its times to develop its plot threads and characters but all the while peppering scene after scene with more bizarre symbolism than I had time to ponder.

This wild narrative is all brought to life using a delightful, impressive, and sometimes indiscernible blend of animatronics, make-up, and CGI. The compelling performances, painterly cinematography, and wistful score are all also notable in their success at grounding the magical realist story in real human emotions. It’s also worth praising the novel editing which constantly transitions between scenes by moving the camera past a physical object like a wall or tree and arriving at a new time and place, rather than just cutting. This effect is somewhat subtle, but it’s greatly conducive to the feeling that this story is itself a series of flowing, cascading dream-like events.

This movie is simultaneously a rich amalgamation and a deeply unique artwork. It tells a fairytale for adults; a tragic war movie that illustrates, both literally and thematically, the psychological, social, and even philosophical function of fairy tales in providing a sense of escapism and hope in the face of life’s cruelest fates. It’s a haunting, touching call to return once in a while to the wonder and naivety of childhood.

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