After many months of work, travel and no play, I went to a cinema to see Pan’s Labyrinth. A friend of mine thought it was my kind of film and he was right – it is dark, surreal and based on a fairy tale. It is set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Spanish civil war. The story blurs the distinction between fantasy and reality but only to those who are not familiar with the stark realism of fairy tales. I know on which side of reality I stand.
Visually, the film is reminiscent of Mirrormask, which by comparison is light-hearted and flippant. Almost everything about Pan’s Labyrinth is dreamlike – imagery, acting, music. Except the violence and pain. This is no Disney movie.
It is a stark reminder of brutality of situations in which the warped and the sadistic have the upper hand. There are no heroes or winners. Just those who manage to preserve a shred of humanity by escaping to an alternative reality and by finding courage to act against the overwhelming evil.
It is also a reminder of the deep-seated morality of fairy tales. Tasks, rules, forbidden ‘fruit’ with dire consequences that follow any mis-behaviour. Monsters can be released by seemingly trivial acts of misdemeanour and can only be bound again at enormous cost. So just like the real life.
cross-posted from Media Influencer
Another potentially amazing trailer ruined by trailer-voiceover-man and his irritatingly husky voice. Ugh.
Adriana’s comment:
struck something of a chord in my mind, having gone yesterday to see a preview of The Last King of Scotland.
I’m not quite sure whether this film really includes finding courage to act against the overwhelming evil. It does in a way, but also it is about the naivety of youth.
Certainly, though, the film does contain: stark reminder of brutality, the warped and sadistic having the upper hand, no heros and winners, and shreds of humanity (perhaps even some sort of preservation).
It too is an excellent film (fiction as I understand it), though with no element of the fairy tale.
I’ll try Adriana’s recommendation; it will be interesting to compare the attractions of good film concerning human pain, evil and folly with and without the mystical element.
Best regards
rob,
You got in before me. I read Adriana’s recommendation and as I clicked play I thought this should be good… God, that voiceover. Who writes that stuff?
I agree with Rob.
That man who seems to have cornered the market in trailer voiceovers manages to put me off seeing most films.
“Sounds like rubbish” is usually my reaction as soon as he starts to speak.
It may be a great film, Adriana, but the trailer has put me off. Sorry.
Thankfully, I’m at work and forgot to bring the headphones.
The visual is great.
Now, I’ll have to wait when the film will make US debut.