Bold, Lyrical, Unforgettable

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2008)

I watched this movie on my good friend's recommendation. In hindsight it may have been the best movie recommendation he or anyone else has ever given me. This movie is incredible on so many different levels that other fantasy movies appear superficial and timid by comparison.
The story opens with a tale about Princess Moanna, princess of the Underworld, who ascends to the human world and dies as a result. The tale prophesizes that one day the princess will return, possibly in another time and place....
After this prologue, the real story starts. Set in civil war era Spain, this is a melding of both a political/war drama and a fantastical fable. A bookish young girl named Ofelia is traveling with her sickly pregnant mother to the outpost of the sadistic but utterly enthralling Captain Vidal. From this outpost he hunts down and kills the communist guerrillas in the surrounding hills. As an escape from this unfamiliar and hostile environment, Ofelia escapes into the fantasy world, populated by fairies and fauns, that stems from an enigmatic labyrinth in the nearby woods. The thing is, this world becomes equally dangerous and dark as the real world she wishes to escape, especially after a faun reveals to her that she is Princess Moanna and she must accomplish three tasks to prove it.
This is where the whole duality of the story gets really interesting. We never know for sure if the fairy tale portion of the story is actually real, or is in fact part of Ofelia's imagination. For example, throughout the film these dual plot lines remained separate never interfering with the other, but they seem to influence each other in mysterious ways. At the end, the two plot lines converge; the two worlds come together, and the result is truly magical, lyrical cinema. It still leaves this question unanswered, but each viewer will have his or her own interpretation.
On top of all this, both of the separate stories would work well on their own and be equally good movies. The war drama half very compelling, relying on an extraordinarily commanding performance by Serji Lopez as Captain Vidal. This particular half of the story grounds the action in reality and serves as a point of reference for the fantasy side of the story. The fantasy half is just as dark, though. Ofelia's encounter with an endlessly creepy creature called the Pale Man is genuinely discomforting, and the faun himself seems to channel both good and evil, thereby offering Ofelia the choice between them.
The look and set design of the film are equally impressive. Every set in the film was purpose built, and the result is an original world; there is mysterious monolith that stands in the center of the labyrinth that would inspire awe and wonderment even if there was no story or narrative surrounding it. The cinematography is good too. All of the technical aspects elevate the film to a completely different plane of artistry.
(What you are about to read is NOT a spoiler. The film shows you this in the first minute.) The film ends where it begins. I will say no more, although I encourage you to draw your own conclusions about the specific reality and framing of the story. No matter which way you see it, however, this is one incredible and unforgettable film.
On another note, believe the rating when it tells you about "Graphic Violence." It's being truthful, this is a REALLY violent movie - don't take your kids to see it.