El Laberinto del Fauno
I saw Pan's Labyrinth / El Laberinto del Fauno last night. Believe me when I say that even though it was an intensely powerful film, it's not one I want to see twice.
Oh man. The violence. The explicit violence. I spent approximately 80% of the movie with my hands up at the ready to cover my eyes at a moment's notice. Faces bashed in with bottles, explicit torture scenes, emotionless executions, gore. The camera does not flinch or shy away. There was just a sense of dread that pervaded the entire film-- the expectation of brutality. My reaction to it was wholly physical.
The acting was phenomenal. Ivana Baquero (Ofelia) was unbelievable for a child actor. Sergi López (Capitán Vidal) was quite possibly the scariest villain I've seen onscreen in some time. Ordinarily, I'd have the criticism that his complete lack of emotional vulnerability made him a disbelievable villain, but that's totally not true in this case. He was a total unstoppable machine of macabre efficiency, and it was enough that his mere prescence in a scene turned my stomach. Doug Jones' performance as the Faun (I refuse to call him Pan, because that's a bad translation, yo) was absolutely frikkin' brilliant. Maribel Verdú as Mercedes hit all the right notes, and I finally figured out where I recognized her from-- Y tu mamá también!
The story was very hard to take. Everything kept going from bad to worse, so I would by no stretch say that it was an enjoyable film to watch. I was expecting a dark fairytale with the backdrop of war, but what I got was gruesome war interspersed with charming and terrifying vignettes from a young girl's rich imagination.
The fantasy bits were richly realized-- wonderful set design and costumes. Probably the best I've seen in a long while. But also suffused with dread-- it was easy to see how Ofelia's subconscious had set up the world to mirror her own that she was so willing to escape. The dinner party with Vidal at the head vs. the scary eyeless baby-eater at the head of an opulent table? Get the magic key vs. the key to the storeroom? Yeah. Direct parallels. Clever, but not too obvious or self-congratulatory.
And good goddamn, the ending. Oh to the em gee. I get that it was supposed to be uplifting and all, but mostly, I was unbelievably depressed.
But overall-- man, that was a tense movie. It had a deeply impacting message, but you couldn't pay me to watch it again on the big screen. It's a movie I'd definitely have to take breaks while watching. Still, it had an effect that has stuck with me, so the movie has merit. Just-- if you get squicked, wait 'til DVD, yeah?
Quote of the night:
"Man, I've had to pee since everyone we liked was still alive!" --Yancy
Oh, and in other news, VAST is coming to the 8x10 in March. Anyone interested in going with me?
Oh man. The violence. The explicit violence. I spent approximately 80% of the movie with my hands up at the ready to cover my eyes at a moment's notice. Faces bashed in with bottles, explicit torture scenes, emotionless executions, gore. The camera does not flinch or shy away. There was just a sense of dread that pervaded the entire film-- the expectation of brutality. My reaction to it was wholly physical.
The acting was phenomenal. Ivana Baquero (Ofelia) was unbelievable for a child actor. Sergi López (Capitán Vidal) was quite possibly the scariest villain I've seen onscreen in some time. Ordinarily, I'd have the criticism that his complete lack of emotional vulnerability made him a disbelievable villain, but that's totally not true in this case. He was a total unstoppable machine of macabre efficiency, and it was enough that his mere prescence in a scene turned my stomach. Doug Jones' performance as the Faun (I refuse to call him Pan, because that's a bad translation, yo) was absolutely frikkin' brilliant. Maribel Verdú as Mercedes hit all the right notes, and I finally figured out where I recognized her from-- Y tu mamá también!
The story was very hard to take. Everything kept going from bad to worse, so I would by no stretch say that it was an enjoyable film to watch. I was expecting a dark fairytale with the backdrop of war, but what I got was gruesome war interspersed with charming and terrifying vignettes from a young girl's rich imagination.
The fantasy bits were richly realized-- wonderful set design and costumes. Probably the best I've seen in a long while. But also suffused with dread-- it was easy to see how Ofelia's subconscious had set up the world to mirror her own that she was so willing to escape. The dinner party with Vidal at the head vs. the scary eyeless baby-eater at the head of an opulent table? Get the magic key vs. the key to the storeroom? Yeah. Direct parallels. Clever, but not too obvious or self-congratulatory.
And good goddamn, the ending. Oh to the em gee. I get that it was supposed to be uplifting and all, but mostly, I was unbelievably depressed.
But overall-- man, that was a tense movie. It had a deeply impacting message, but you couldn't pay me to watch it again on the big screen. It's a movie I'd definitely have to take breaks while watching. Still, it had an effect that has stuck with me, so the movie has merit. Just-- if you get squicked, wait 'til DVD, yeah?
Quote of the night:
"Man, I've had to pee since everyone we liked was still alive!" --Yancy
Oh, and in other news, VAST is coming to the 8x10 in March. Anyone interested in going with me?