Pan’s Labyrinth

It’s going to be difficult for me not to use excessive superlatives (there I go already!) about this film. My wife asked me how I liked it last night and the words “I think it might be my favorite film of all time” came tumbling out. “Wow. I haven’t heard you say that since Braveheart. What did you like about it?” Great question and worthy of a my first WordPress blog post. If you plan to see it what follows might contain some spoilers. Proceed with caution but I’ll give further warnings as we edge toward a real spoiler.

It is the gospel told with elements of fairy tale and real history. The film is set simeltaneously in two places: 1930’s Spain at a time of political unrest and the alternative reality of the main character. For that last sentance I started to write “the mind of the main character”… then “a fantasy world that the main character conjures up” then something about “make believe.” None of those fit because as i watched the film I was taken with how this girl actually inhabited another realm of reality. That’s it. Another realm of reality. I bought it. The world she inhabited was just as real as the one the violence and political unrest occurred in only not everyone could see it. It was an alternative kingdom where her “dead” father resided, filled with beauty and peace and joy. ***Real spoiler afoot *** And the way she ultimately accessed that reality and saved another’s life was via suffering and shedding her innocent blood. The intersection of fairy tale and a common element of the vast majority of religions – blood sacrifice. More importantly to me as follower of Jesus: it rang of truth veiled as a marvelous story. An amazing parable.