Pan’s Labyrinth

Del Toro’s universally celebrated return to Spanish-language cinema was once again set during General Franco’s oppressive dictatorship, this time towards the end of the Second World War. Young Ofelia seeks refuge from her authoritarian stepfather in a mysterious labyrinth populated by fantastical creatures. Inspired by Francisco Goya’s Black Paintings and the carnality of Arthur Rackham’s work, the film features creations that almost immediately took their place within the collective cultural psyche. Their upsetting presence notwithstanding, for del Toro, ‘fascism represents the ultimate horror’.