A Weird Sort of Family Affair.

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2015)

Pan's Labyrinth (2006): Dir: Guillermo del Toro / Cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones: Enchanting fairy tale about escaping the harsh realities of life. Ofelia and her pregnant mother travel to the country within the war in 1944 and under the guidance of a ruthless captain. He is not Ofelia's father but he demands that the unborn child be male. Ofelia reads fairy tales and is eventually guided by a fairy to a portal where she is given a quest that must be completed before the next full moon. She encounters giant toads, strange creatures, and fauns that all add to the film's extraordinary visual presentation. Directed by Guillermo del Toro with an exquisite visual spectacular. The ending is dark and aimed at the wrong audience. Ivana Baquero is fetching as Ofelia whose imagination is her escape from the harsh realities. Sergi Lopez plays the sadistic Captain whose last scene has him challenged with the news that his son will never know him. Ariadna Gil plays Ofelia's mother, and Maribel Verdu plays a servant whose brother leads troops in the forest. Doug Jones plays a grotesque monster called the Pale Man, who has a taste for children and genuine fright. This all adds to hope and that there are those pushing for freedom despite its rare placement. All this themed with the imagination, which can be one's only escape. Score: 8 / 10