The Fundy Film Society

Pan’s Labyrinth

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone), Pan’s Labyrinth is a thrilling, violent fairy tale for adults set in post-Civil War Spain. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), into the home of Captain Vidal (Sergi López, Dirty Pretty Things), in an abandoned mill in the middle of dark, dangerous woods. Vidal is leading his team of soldiers against resistance fighters–and he will do whatever is necessary to kill every last one of them.

As Vidal bosses around the pregnant Carmen, a flying creature leads Ofelia through a garden labyrinth and into an underground cave ruled by Pan (Doug Jones Hellboy), who believes that Ofelia might be the lost princess of this strange yet magical place. To prove she is royalty, Ofelia must complete three tasks, each more difficult and terrifying than the previous one. Meanwhile, Vidal is becoming more and more paranoid, torturing and murdering seemingly at will.

Del Toro crafts a marvelous battle between good and evil, between heroes and villains, in both the real world above ground and the mystical land below. Baquero gives a compelling performance as the terrorized Ofelia, who is befriended by Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, Y tu mamá también), a woman who harbors some secrets of her own. Academy Award-winning art direction and cinematography and a stirring score by Javier Navarrete add to the spellbinding cinematic experience. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.