By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Alex Angulo | Ariadna Gil | Doug Jones | Ivana Baquero | Manolo Solo | Maribel Verdú | Sergi Lopez
Original language title: El laberinto del fauno
Country: mexico, spain
Year: 2007
Running time: 118
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/reference
Chris says: “Anyone touched by the moment in THE WIZARD OF OZ when the film shifts from black and white into glorious color knows how effectively movies can express the startling contrast between reality and fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s film almost takes this concept to an extreme, for the fantasy becomes essential in aiding the lead character, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) to deal with a ruthlessly bleak reality. The scenes in which Ofelia meets Pan the Faun and the Pale Man (both played by Doug Jones) are rich with unearthly locales (like the latter’s sinister, overstuffed dining room), beautifully dark colors and creatively bizarre costumes. However, in other scenes involving her malevolent stepfather and the home where she is held captive, the visual tableau is nearly as striking—as for Ofelia, it becomes increasingly difficult for us to distinguish what’s real and what’s imagined by sight alone.”