It's been a while since I saw a film at the cinema that really blew my socks off, but on Wednesday I went to see Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and my socks are now coyly hanging from the emergency exit sign in the Islington Vue. It's "a gothic fairytale set against the postwar repression of Franco's spain". To synopsise the plot very briefly: Ofelia, our 11-year-old heroine and her heavily pregnant mother are taken to a remote outpost under military rule, captained by her new stepfather. While battle between the heroic insurgents and the barbaric military unfolds, Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth in the woods and the promise of transportation to a magical world.
It's a story of intense brutality, fragile beauty, honour and heroism. The film is pretty much entirely shot in half-light with menacing shadows and a brownish palate. The set and special effects are also completely fantastic - incredibly detailed and other-worldly. Put it all together and you've got a film that grips you so tight you can barely breathe. Beautiful.
If you want to find out more, check out the film's official website (and see how many awards it's already won!) or just take my word for it and buy tickets to see Pan's Labyrinth at a Vue cinema.
Sara Sha'ath
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