A very original and gripping film

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2007)

Have just watched this and thought it was excellent. The fantasy and real-life stories complemented each other well. The special effects were great, and as a viewer you were transported into Ofelia's secret world which she uses to escape her unhappy life with her step-father, a Captain in the fascist army. The girl who plays this protagonist, Ivana Baquero, was amazing. So too was Maribel Verdú who plays Mercedes (also in 'Y Tu Mama Tambien'), a close friend of Ofelia. Perhaps the best thing I liked about the film was its unpredictability, even until the end. Although there are a few traumatic scenes to sit through, they are there to show the horrors of Spanish fascism and resistance during the 1930s.