Pan's Labyrinth vs Northfork

Pan’s Labyrinth is simultaneously a brutal, unflinching war movie; a hardscrabble coming-of-age; and a terrifying and wonderful (and wonderfully terrifying and terrifyingly wonderful) fantasy. I’d say it’s the best film of its kind, but since it’s a movie set in the Spanish Civil War and featuring Fauns, faeries and eye-less children-eaters, that’s probably not necessary to say.

Ofelia is a perfect Fairy Tale heroine. She’s roughly nine years old; believes in faeries; and lives in a huge, frightening house with a loving maid, a sickly mother, and an evil, violent stepfather. So it’s immediately no leap of logic for us at all that Ofelia is sought out by bug-disguised faeries and led to a Faun, who explains to her that she’s the reincarnation of a beloved, immortal princess.

Like Life is Beautiful, Pan’s Labyrinth uses the imagination of a child to ease the suffering of war. The Fascists in attendance, especially Ofelia’s stepfather (played menacingly, disgustingly well by Sergi Lopez), are such brutal, always-present figures, that Ofelia spends most of her time in her mother’s sickbed. At night, even though she’s frightened, Ofelia follows the faeries (they’re enormous insects, until she shows them a more traditional faerie in a book, and they transform to suit her comfort level. What sweet, human touch this movie has.)

In the woods and underground, Ofelia meets a Faun (Doug Jones) who recognizes her as royalty, and presents her, night after night, with increasingly difficult challenges, in exchange for benefits like an ease to her mother’s pain. While Ofelia’s fears above ground are valid (seriously, the scenes of war-time torture and intimidation are the most eye-coveringly scary I’ve seen since Schindler’s List.) it’s her dealings with the Faun that truly test her confidence. The first, a visit to a giant frog to restore the blossoms to the fig tree, is darkly whimsical, like something out of Harry Potter. Another mission, a timed confrontation with the Pale Man (Doug Jones, again) is more darkly, and less whimsical; it’s right up there with the Alien in my list of Terrifying Things From Movies That Won’t Stop Bothering Me When I’m Trying to Sleep. The Pale Man? Eyes on the palms of his hands. Also, wants to eat children. And, lives under your house, and is responsible for all the creaking and groaning you hear at night. I know!

Pan’s Labyrinth is, of course, one of the best movies of the year. It already feels timeless and classic. Like The Departed, it’s one of those movies I feel I’ve been talking about for years. Guillermo del Toro directed Pan’s Labyrinth, and although he’s impressed before, mostly visually, nothing he’s done in the past will prepare you for the violent, beautiful film he’s created here. I’d call it his masterpiece, but Pan’s Labyrinth is also full of such hope and wonder, it feels like the work of a man just getting started. The performances are nice all around (Maribel Verdu, as Ofelia’s faithful, secretive maid, is especially effective), but Ivana Baquero, as Ofelia, is the heart of the film. I kept telling myself that if she wasn’t scared, I didn’t have to be, and there I was, half the movie, silently begging to look away. I couldn’t, in case you were wondering.

Pan’s Labyrinth shares elements with Life is Beautiful, Whale Rider, Millions, and, well, Labyrinth. I’m recommending Northfork. It’s not as successful on all fronts like Pan’s Labyrinth, but it’s got a sparse, interesting visual style, and, at its center, the imagination of an otherwise doomed child, putting a spotlight on a tiny piece of hope that might not even exist. It doesn’t sound like much fun, I suppose, and it’s not. But it’s wonderful in a way, a movie living partly in a fantasy world a child has created, and partly in the harsh truths the adults are creating for him outside his window.

It’s 1955, and the small town of Northfork, Montana is being evacuated. A dam is being built, and Northfork is going to flood. A priest (Nick Nolte), is staying, as is Irwin, a sick orphan (Duel Farnes) recently returned by his adoptive parents. The priest is kind, but not much of a companion for Irwin, so the lonely boy conjures up four guardian angels to entertain and comfort him.

The angels are unlike any other movie characters you’ve seen before. They’re like living versions of Tim Burton sketches, with long limbs and pale skin (Daryl Hannah and Anthony Edwards are two of them, and are virtually unrecognizable). At times they appear to be traveling circus performers, or maybe street actors, but neither of those scenarios makes sense in the context of the film, so we let Irwin guide them, confident that each gives him what he needs at any given moment.

Visually, Northfork is beautiful. It’s a quiet film, going for long stretches with no dialogue or music (Northfork is inevitably referred to as “dreamlike”, which is a nice way of saying you started nodding off. It’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person. Maybe pause it once in a while, have a stretch and some caffeine.). The sky is huge, and the horizon feels unreachable. Bizarre images appear: A half-built ark sits alone in the desert. A dog walks on stilts. One of the angels wears glasses with lenses sticking out in all directions.  Northfork was directed by Michael Polish, and if he’s not mastered the pace or brutality of Pan’s Labyrinth, he’s more than compensated for it with his lush widescreen visual scope. Northfork is a movie made for the biggest screen you can find. At a certain point, you’ll begin to dread that the flood is coming, because you’re worried about little Irwin. But you’ll welcome it too, knowing that he’s got his angels and a director that’s going to make that flood look amazing. Besides, the kid’s priest is Nick Nolte, for crying out loud.

Pan’s Labyrinth: A
Northfork: B