Yesterday, I had the privilege to attend a sold out screening of Guillermo Del Toro’s modern day masterpiece ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ hosted by Glasgow’s own Burnt Church Film Club. BCFC is held in The Flying Duck, a fantastic vegan restaurant not far from Buchanan bus station. The club has hosted and will host a vast array of screenings for cult hits, under appreciated classics and the like, whilst creating a friendly and comforting viewing environment, allowing you to be surrounded by like minded people who are also there to appreciate these great films. I cannot recommend these screenings enough, so if you like what you have heard, I will link the Facebook page below where you can find event pages for screenings and links to by tickets!
https://www.facebook.com/burntchurchfilmclub
Now, on to the review! Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark and twisted fantasy/drama/horror set in just after the Spanish civil war where sects of each side continue to attack one another, or at the very least, doing what they can to set the other side back. Amongst all of the political and ideology fuelled chaos is Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a young girl enraptured by tales of fairies and mythical beings who is taken to stay with her new father in law, Captain Vidal (Sergi López), a cruel fascist Falange officer. As she arrives on Vidal’s base, Ofelia is lead to a labyrinth by a stick insect which she believes to be a fairy. When she discovers this labyrinth, an entire mystical hidden past of which Ofelia had no idea of is revealed to her by the now iconic Faun (Doug Jones/Pablo Adán).
It goes without saying at this point that the direction by Del Toro is outstanding, as he works with every actor to depict a tale of wonder and melancholy, all while creating masterfully framed shots, unique and mesmerising creature and set designs. This allows ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to feel as though it takes place in a world of it’s own, fully fleshed out and pushing the boundaries of believability.
The writing of this film, whether it be dialogue, lore, plot, pacing, is overwhelmingly strong. The pacing of the film is seamless, as each moment perfectly connects to the next. The story and dialogue suck you in to the world that is being presented in front of you. The fairytale aspects unique to this story are as timeless as anything that has been told through out tradition in my eyes. A particular part of the story I find deeply interesting is the contrast between the horrors of war and the horror of fairytale monsters, particularly within certain imagery present in the Pale Man’s chamber that is eerily reminiscent of a very upsetting image remembered from the second world war. I find that the use of horror that is very real, juxtaposed against horrors of a very unreal nature.
The acting through out ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is outstanding. Despite the fact that the entire film is in Spanish and subtitled for English speakers like myself, it never once felt like an effort to follow the story as the emotions are so well conveyed not just through the actor’s tone of voice and body language as well as their dialogue. The range that is present within these actor’s emotional palette is immense, especially of that of Ivana Baquero, as through out the film wonderment in joy is matched by grief and sorrow. Baquero gives what is possibly the best child perfomance in cinema in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’.
The musical score through out this film ethereal, from heart wrenching lullabies, to dramatic and intense themes used to ramp up tension in war torn battles and Brother’s Grimm-esque, horrifying, monster focused scenes.
The part of ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ that stands out to most, and for good reason, is the creature design and special effects make-up. The Faun and the Pale Man are two of the most iconic, memorable and awe inspiring special effects creatures ever committed to film, brought to life by the fantastic Doug Jones. Despite it’s short length, the scene in which the Pale Man is present is a stand out moment of the film, that is as beautiful in it’s imagery as it is horrifying in the actions that take place.
Overall I had a great time watching ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ at the Burnt Church Film Club’s Screening. Regardless of this I will also be giving Pan’s Labyrinth 95%!
Thank you for reading my review of this film and event, if you have seen ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, let me know what you think in the comments and if for some reason you have not seen it, for your own sake, please do! You can check out the film trailer below.
Movie Night Massacre 