I saw Pan's Labyrinth last night and it was so heavy and disturbing and gratuitously violent that I felt sick to my stomach upon leaving the theater. I had been meaning to see the film and when it won all the Oscars, I figured it had to be as great as everyone said it was(brilliant logic, I know). Well, on the 3 fronts the Academy judged it to be the best (Cinematography, Art Direction, Makeup) it was, in fact, fantastic. The acting was pretty strong and the sound effects and production were incredible, as well. But the story was so gruesomely dark and unrelenting I had a hard time focusing on these aspects.
Against the backdrop of Franco's Spain, an innocent little girl tries to enter a fantastical world where she can escape. Aside from that, I really didn't know what I was getting into before seeing this movie--I had read a little blurb and the NYT review that mentioned fairy tales--but this is definitely not what fairy tales conjure up in my mind. The movie succeeds in capturing the darkness and fear of the historical time period, but it falls way short of providing the hopeful message I think it ultimately aims for.
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