Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi López, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú, Álex Angulo, Roger Casamajor, Sebastián Haro, Mina Lira, Federico Luppi, Ivan Massagué, Chema Ruiz, Manolo Solo, Milo Taboada
Movie Report
Pan’s Labyrinth is a fantasy cum historical depiction set during the period of World War II in Spain. On one hand it reveals the fantasy of a small lonely girl and at the same time it also depicts the post war scenario in Spain.
Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is an eleven year old girl. She and her widowed pregnant mother are journeying to meet Ofelia’s new stepfather. Ofelia’s stepfather is an army captain named Vidal (Sergi López) based at a military camp deep in the Spanish forests.
Ofelia loves reading fairytales which her mother scolds her for. But her love for fairytales is going to become her biggest weapon. When they reach the camp they become aware of the cruel and bully nature of Vidal. Vidal has no concern for the well being of Ofelia’s mother. For him Ofelia’s mother is prospect for giving her a male successor. His other major concern is killing the leftist rebels.
Vidal totally ignores Ofelia. Ofelia in turn keeps herself involved with the storybooks she has. That night she is approached by a large noisy insect who transforms into a fairy. This fairy leads her into an ancient stone labyrinth on the grounds of the camp. Here she meets a mischievous Faun (Doug Jones) who informs her that she is an incarnation of a dead fairy princess. He also informs her that she can return back to her magical kingdom if she can complete three tasks before the full moon.
