Beautiful masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2014)

This film is truly brilliant. I could spend this entire review gushing about how wonderful I think it is, but will try to be more precise.
The plot is beautifully constructed, juxtaposing seamlessly between a reality without hope and the fantasy that offers a light at the end of the tunnel. The acting was superb throughout – the young Ivana Baquero shows remarkable skill in bringing the character of Ofelia to life, and we really can believe and enter into her distress and fear. The haunting music was a perfect backdrop to the action, enhancing the despair of the situation. The effects are excellent and believable.
Whether or not the audience is supposed to believe that Ofelia is imagining things or whether it is really happening, seems to me to be ultimately irrelevant. What the audience is looking at is the idea of hope rising out of despair, in the person of a little girl who believes in magic. The effect she has on the adults around her, whether it be contempt from the Captain, or the love she inspires in Mercedes, is the most poignant and beautiful part of this story.
This is a great movie. I can't recommend it too highly.