Too Perfect for a Labyrinth

usually fantasy films are something I should avoid. even the Lord of the Rings trilogy made me sleep during each screenings (no rotten eggs throwing on me please). however, this wonderfully crafted pieces of art is a different story. Pan's Labyrinth is simply beautiful, and I couldn't even get my eyes off my laptop screen during watching.

Pan's Labyrinth is a perfect combination of a dark fairy-tale with a realistic post-war event. it is well-supported with a nice cinematography all over the film, fantastic each character developments, great CGI effects, perfect production design, and even the soundtracks. simply said, the relationship between the mise-en-scene with the storyline is just too good to be true. no wonder this film has won plenty awards out there, including the high prestige Academy Awards for its cinematography, make-up, and art direction.

Pan's Labyrinth tells a story of a fairy-tale believer Ofelia, who travels with her pregnant mother to meet her stepfather. that dreaming about living in a fairy-tale world suddenly come true when she discovers that she is actually a princess called Moanna, and she has to do certain tasks before the full-moon to get her kingdom back. the whole story takes place in the event of 1944 post-civil war in Spain.

another spectacular aspect you wouldn't let it off your brain when you see it is the looks of the creatures; they are simply unforgettable. you must see the look of the faun, the fairies, and even the child-eating monster. they are different than any other creatures we have seen in films. special funny note for the child-eating monster, when I saw his eyes on his hands and he looked around by putting up his hands in front of his pale face, I just simply thought of that ridiculous 'peek-a-boo!' thingy that most mothers usually do to tease their young babies, and a used-to-be-child-singer cheap whore called Maissy did in her TV program, 'Ci-Luk-Ba!' (same meaning as peek-a-boo, but different sense if done by a tasteless tramp), produced by her rich dad in those sickening old days.

it's a shame that I missed the screening of this film during Jakarta International Film Festival last year, because this film is better watched on the big screen. however, looks like that 21 Cinema is going to screen it and I might watch it for the second time when I'm in Indonesia.

final words to finish this entry, kudos to Guillermo del Torro!

Cast: Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi Lopez
Writer & Director: Guillermo del Torro
Country: Spain
Runtime: 112 min.