I realized that I also place the word “sweet” in my Kamikaze Girls‘ review, which means I’m establishing Nakashima as a sweet director.  I should certainly clarify that because he is sweet like Guillermo del Toro.  I find it nice that a director can be fanciful and outlandish yet still be able to reign a film in and get to the point.  So what if Paco and the Magical Picture Book made me cry.  And this was no ordinary cry, it was a heart wrenching soul baring barrage of tears.  I was bawling like a baby that had his rattle take away.  Of course this makes perfect sense because Paco and the Magical Picture Book is very similar in concept to Pan’s Labyrinth and The Princess Bride.

The story revolves around a slightly twisted hospital where the patients are not what you would call typical.  Even the staff, on which Tamako (Anna Tsuchiya) works, has their own hang-ups and idiosyncrasies.  We are introduced to a powerful older businessman Onuki (Kôji Yakusho) that essentially wants no one to remember him because he feels completely inadequate since being removed from his company due to a heart attack.  He is a complete bastard to put it mildly.  He is so evil that he hits a little girl, who turns out to be Paco (Ayaka Wilson).  Onuki is distraught but is taken beyond that once he finds out that Paco has her own medical condition.  She suffers from a mental illness that erases her memory every day.  Each day is a brand new day without memories from any of her past beyond the day her parents died in a car accident.  The same accident that caused her illness.  Onuki then seeks to give Paco that one staying memory in hopes of repenting for his own sins and possibly curing her.  Then the tears come in waves.

After such a great introduction, I wish the beginning of the film was as good as the rest.  I actually was about to stop the film because the beginning was filled with spacious moments of introductory character development that had no weight.  It’s not until Paco and Onuki become the centerpiece dies the film really flow.  Even the animated aspects make perfect sense as we see the film through the eyes of Paco’s Magical Picture Book.  I think that the acting from the supporting cast may actually be a hindrance to the film at the beginning because you are continually trying to discover where the film is trying to go.  We get a parade of medical and mental issues without much reasoning, until the end of course.  These side plots are essential to the final resolution but are tedious.  Give the film 3o minutes of leeway at the beginning and you have a truly fabulous quirky comedic drama.

Paco and the Magical Picture Book is a touching film that may be outlandish but it’s within that realm of fantasy that we are free to express emotions not acceptable in real life.  Onuki shows that love comes in many forms and that true redemption is not always possible unless it begins with forgiving yourself.  We cry for Paco and Onuki, mainly because there is a false ending that begins the waterworks.  And then we cry again on a whole new level when we realize the truth of the ending.  While this film may not appeal to everyone, it certainly should be given a chance.  Sometimes a cathartic experience is just what the doctor ordered.  In this case, I get Anna Tsuchiya as my nurse.

The film revolves around an orphanage, duh. One of the orphans that left the house, Laura (Belén Rueda) buys the house in order to open her own home for special needs children. She brings along her son Simón (Roger Príncep) and her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo). While at first we have just creepy sounds, soon Simón’s invisible friends increase in number. Certain mysteries are uncovered leading to Laura revisiting her history with the orphanage. It’s hard to go into detail because the plot works more like a thriller. Each little piece of story discovered adds to the tension, culminating in an unexpected end. This was the let down part of the narrative. I really wanted more out of the ending. While some will view it as a great end, I hate the idea that a horror film has to end in a certain way. I give the film credit for taking a chance, but I personally was expecting more.

I couldn’t help but feel like the film was an exercise in how easy it is to scare the crap out of someone if you just establish the right setting. There really are few parts in the film that are outright scary, but you find yourself on the edge of your seat just waiting. Waiting for something hidden in the orphanage. I’m sure this film scared many viewers, I just have a hard time really being scared by any film. I do like the fact that the film does not rely on those jump out and Boo! moments that so many horror films use to quickly scare a viewer. The Orphanage realizes that the waiting and the shadows are enough to keep blood pressures rising.

The Orphanage does prove that foreign horror films are still better right now that American ones. While we have Saw IV and Hostel 2, fairly original films are being made across the world that do not rely on gore and torture porn. Now don’t get me wrong, The Orphanage is not the most original film ever made, but it does not have a formulaic feel. Perhaps this is why I have yet to watch many new American horror films, I can’t stomach watching a sequel to a bad film or a horribly culturally inaccurate remake of a Japanese horror film. At the least The Orphanage has something fresh to offer the horror genre.

While I recommend watching The Orphange, it is not one of my favorites. I really like the approach but I think many filmmakers could make an orphanage creepy. The acting is decent, if not a bit too melodramatic at moments (not to take away from Belén Rueda, she is very attractive and much better than many other female roles in horror films). This may be due to the film trying to be a bit more than a horror film. I would rather watch this film than any other horror offerings right now because at least there is some substance to the film. The Orphanage provides us with a nice scare and a decent effort at transcending your typical horror film (even if the effort wasn’t fully realized).

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!