Beautiful Sadness

I thought it may be time to start watching some of the Oscar nominated films for this year; and since I have no desire to watch Dreamgirls, Pan’s Labyrinth it was. I was looking forward to seeing this film after viewing the trailer. It had a unique look to it, and I am a sucker for weird. I was actually disappointed when I finally watched the film because it did not fulfill my expectations. It took those expectations, chewed them up, flossed, had a little throw up in the mouth, and spit them out. I am so glad that I was disappointed because Pan’s Labyrinth happens to be one of the best films I have watched in recent history. Dare I even say it may be one of the best films ever (at least in the context of films I have watched).

So how can I describe this film? Let me quote myself in a conversation I had with my wife about this film:

It was one of the saddest films I can recall, yet within the sadness there was beauty and life.

That may just be one of the best sentences I have ever uttered. I cried during this film. Now for those of you that may know me, I have only ever cried in three films; Homeward Bound, Rudy, and Big Fish. So right there is good evidence that I was drawn in by the story. If I had to make a comparison, this film reminded me of Shindler’s List. I was captivated by the story even in its horror. Let me dissect the film a bit.

There are essentially two stories we encounter. The first is the real life story of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) as she tries to live through the fascist regime of 1944 Spain. I have to admit that I really had no context of reference for this event, but the film did inspire me to a quick web search on the topic. As her mother, Carmen Vidal (Ariadna Gil) takes residence with her new military husband, Ofelia is forced to realize that death and fighting are all around her. Yet, she is profoundly blind to the atrocities. She is protected by the rebel mole maid to the Capitan, Mercedes (Maribel Verdu). She is taken care of while we witness the struggles of the rebels and military, and her mother’s struggle with a difficult pregnancy. Many minor scenes heighten this reality by being particularly gruesome in their depiction. As you will see, this is mirrored by the beauty of Ofelia’s fantasy world.

The other story involves Ofelia’s travels into the world of Pan (Doug Jones) (more appropriately called Fauna in Spanish). She is led to believe that she is the lost princess and that through completing three trials she will be able to enter her fairytale kingdom. This side of the story is gorgeous and very artistic. Having a young daughter I can now see why little girls want to be princesses. I wanted to be an archaeologist, damn you Indy! Anyways, this fantasy is Ofelia’s escape.

As the stories interweave we are faced with the struggle of Ofelia versus the Capitan. Her mother bears a child but leaves the world during the birth. The Capitan exposes the plot of Mercedes and the rebels and plans their destruction. In the middle of this, Ofelia is instructed by Pan to bring the child so that his blood my open the portal to her fantasy kingdom. Then it all comes crashing down.

The ending is one of those kick you in the gut endings that leave you with tears, anger, sadness, and yet hope. That is really a hard thing to explain; depression and hope all mixed together. The one aspect that was just a little sub-par was the acting. Each actor was good, but I found myself wishing for just a bit more facial reaction or subtlety.

I wish this film would get more recognition, but foreign language films are always a hard sell. This is aggravating because Guillermo del Toro will probably be more known for Hellboy rather than this film. I am rethinking my viewing of other Oscars nominees and may just boycott Hollywood until they realize that good films don’t need Beyonce or strictly American ideals. Who am I kidding, I’ll watch those films just so I can justify my rant on why Pan’s Labyrinth should win best picture!