A modern masterpiece of fantasy

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2018)

This movie is the best "New Weird" piece of fiction I have ever experienced. If it was written in novel form, it would be a true fantasy fiction classic. The world itself is imbedded in the dark atmosphere of the Spanish Civil War. Yet it emphasizes the values of family, not in its traditional senses, but through the lens of fantasy, the magic and unpredictability of family is strengthened with imagery. The only thing or cure that can transcend the physical separation and ideological differences with each other is the common need for love (emphasized by the mandrake). When the mandrake is thrown in the fire, it is the abandonment of love, and that is emphasized through fantasy as life itself. So when one willingly gives their life up for a stranger through this shared sense of love, it forms such a connection that transcends both ideology and war itself. That is what Del Toro's masterpiece portrays in its vivid and highly imaginative world of fantasy. A truly gripping film, and an evocative masterpiece that transcends any further description.