Pan's Labyrinth

     Pan's Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro might just be at the top of my list of movies we have watched in class. Toro exhibited his auteurist abilities throughout this movie at impeccable times. When the movie first began, it was difficult for me to pay attention because of the movie being in Spanish. However, as the film continued I got used to the Spanish language and reading English subtitles. The plot of the film is what completely captivated me and made me want to finish the movie in one sitting. 

    Toro's storyline of how Ofelia's magic was linked to her mother was a great idea. SPOILER!!! After Carmen (Ofelia's mother) dies, Ofelia instantly feels alone. She doesn't trust her father or what he's doing to the town, feels abandoned by her mom, and only has a baby brother who she wants to protect from everything. The blood and gore that occur after Carmen dies is what further extended Toro's auteurist abilities. Yes, the scenes with the faun and the mythical creatures was creative and well executed, but we do see mythical creatures in lots of shows and movies these days. The war that broke out and the fight scenes were incredibly realistic. Additionally, when Vidal (Ofelia's Earth father) had his mouth cut open, I was both completely grossed out and in awe. The way that his mouth being cut open, almost up to his cheek bone, looked was completely real. Overall, once the war became serious, I was enthralled in this film.

    Like I said last week, I didn't really enjoy Lost in Translation. I mentioned that I am more into action movies, and this film fulfilled what I didn't enjoy last week. Also, earlier in this post I mentioned how I wasn't particularly focused on the mythical creatures present in this film because there are many shows and movies who make these creatures apart of storylines nowadays. Though this is true, it still was very well executed and made the mise-en-scene great. The fairies being Ofelia's 'guides', the faun only being seen by Ofelia, and everything else Toro created in this film was to a tee. Toro clearly is an auteur and I especially appreciate the historic storyline throughout this film.