The Missing Answer To "Lady In The Water"...an adult fantasy told through the eyes of a child

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2007)

Guillermo Del Torro once again tells a story set during 1940s Spain during the dictatorship of Franco. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother move into their new home with her stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia also meets and befriends Mercedes (Maribel Verdu), the housekeeper whose brother is fighting in the Spanish resistance. Ofelia discovers a labyrinth in the garden of the house where Faun (Doug Jones), keeper of the labyrinth, tells her that she is the long lost princess of the underworld and she must complete three tasks before the full moon in order for her to take her place in the underworld. Meanwhile, Mercedes smuggles food, letters, and supplies to her brother's resistance army under the nose of the psychotic Captain Vidal. Once again an adult story told and seen through the eyes of a child. Like "The Devil's Backbone" the child's innocence is what protects them from the horrible world of war and political suppression. This film is so visually stunning and the story really takes you in and never lets go. Ivana Baquero is a star in the making! Lovely and innocent as Ofelia she carries the film so bravely and with the genteel of a young lady. Maribel Verdu is also lovely and wonderful as the woman whose own journey mirrors to that of the little Ofelia. Sergi Lopez is absolutely the villain that you do not love to hate...he plays his character with the sinister and sadistic manner that is similar to that of Ralph Fienne's Amon Goethe in Schindler's List. This film is without question a top ten film to see in time for Oscar season.