A dark, but beautiful Fairy Tale about Innocence and War

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2008)

I read several reviews on Pan's Labyrinth, most of them very enthusiastic but warning about the violence and brutality. Now, I usually hate bloody and gory films, but I heard that this was a different kind of movie and I decided to watch it. I'm very impressed! Guillermo Del Toro really created a masterpiece with this movie about the innocence of a young child, who is thrown in the brutality of war, and even though I'm German, I think this should have won the Foreign Picture Oscar instead of The Lives of Others. The plot brilliantly weaves two stories together in one, obscuring reality and imagination until we forget which one is which. The young girl Ofelia and her pregnant mother arrive at the small military base of her stepfather Captain Vidal who is in charge of killing the rebells in the mountains of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Vidal is a sadistic and dominant soldier, who is extremely strict with everyone and uses extreme brutality to get things done. Ofelia explores the surrounding area and discovers a labyrinth nearby, where she meets a faun, who tells her that she really is the daughter of a king, who can only return to her kingdom if she performs 3 dangerous tasks.
It is true that there is very strong violence in this movie, but it is essential in this movie, because it shows that sad and horrible reality surrounding Ofelia and why she tries to escape it. The great and beautiful music, especially the theme, will give you goosebumps from time to time and as sad as the movie is, the message is that there are always wonderful things out there in the world, no matter how bad things may seem.
Sergi Lopez does an excellent job as Captain Vidal. He perfectly shows his sadistic and frightening nature and even his eyes will send shivers down your back. Ivana Baquero as Ofelia also deserves high praise, because she manages to play the torn character of the young girl with such an emotion, that you will sometimes forget she's just acting. Same with Lopez by the way.
All in all, you must have seen this movie which has won 3 Oscar, Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Make Up, and was the deserving winner of the Best Foreign Language Movie that year. But even though it can be described as a Fairy Tale, don't show it to your kids! It's really brutal and frightening at some points.