Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) is a 2006 Mexican Spanish dark fantasy film, written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.
The Orphanage (El Orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish-Mexican horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona. Returning to her childhood home — a mysterious, seaside orphanage — Laura discovers dark and horrific secrets hidden within the home and the movie follows along with her desperate attempt to rescue her family from the nightmare into which she unwittingly led them.
My Thoughts: These two movies are in Spanish so subtitles are a must, especially if you don’t understand the language. I like both films very much and I decided to write this after I finished watching The Orphanage. I enjoyed it so much that I was emotionally inspired to write about it. And it also reminded me about the last time I watched a Spanish film, Pan’s Labyrinth.
They both tell an interesting story that’s unique and they do a wonderful job in capturing the viewers’ attention. They have us at the edge of our seats, thinking we’ll know what will happen next only to blow our minds and head in a direction that hits us emotionally. When people watch these films they shouldn’t expect horror or big scares but instead to be creeped out. Theses films aren’t just mindless horror, fantasy or just tell a story but they make you think and they have a meaning behind their characters’ actions/thoughts and behind the story they are telling.
The Orphanage it’s more mystery/psychological/emotional ghost story then horror. Pan Labyrinth is more of a twisted fairy tale/fantasy with reality woven into it. And I love the endings of both films. For some people they consider the endings to be terribly sad but for others they feel they are happy endings. But for me I consider both film endings to be both sad and happy, bittersweet. Which is all the more reason why they are great because not that many films do a great job in translating those two emotions at the same time.
Anyway, I find these movies amazing and I definitely recommend them to people to watch.
 DamnBlackHeart · Thu Oct 20, 2011 @ 03:13pm · 0 Comments |
