Pan's Labyrinth

PAN'S LABYRINTH (EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO) (15)

D: Guillermo del Toro

Optimum/Telecinco (Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuarón, Frida Torresblanco & Alvaro Augustin)

Spain/Mexico 2006

120 mins

Fantasy/Horror/War

W: Guillermo del Toro

DP: Guillermo Navarro

Ed: Bernat Vilaplana

Mus: Javier Navarrete

PD: Eugenio Caballero

Cos: Lala Huete

Ivana Baquero (Ofelia / Princess Moanna), Sergi Lopez (Capt. Vidal), Maribel Verdu (Mercedes), Alex Angulo (Dr. Ferreiro), Doug Jones (The Faun / The Pale Man), Ariadna Gil (Carmen / Queen of the Underworld)

Guillermo del Toro brings to the big screen one of the most stylish and intelligent modern fantasy films with this Spanish-language gem.

Set during the Spanish civil war, the imaginative stepdaughter of a cruel fascist captain takes refuge in a magical world, where a mystical faun sets her various tasks for her to prove her worth and become a princess to the underworld.

All aspects of the production are wildly imaginative, Guillermo del Toro delivering a breathtaking work of art with practically every single frame of film. The performances are also fantastic, especially from juvenile actress Ivana Bacquero, whose imagination transports us from the horrors of war into the world of her own creations.

9/10