Excellent dark storytelling...

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2007)

1st watched 6/3/2007 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Guillermo del Toro): Excellent dark storytelling from Director Guillermo del Toro in this much heralded fantasy film from Mexico. There are really two stories in this film. The first concerns fighting in the Spanish civil war between the established government and rebels. The second involves a little girl and her mother who's expecting and arriving to live with their new father and husband. He happens to be a ruthless & prideful General for the government who will do anything to stop the uprising of the rebels and to have a son and heir to his throne, apparently. The girl finds a labyrinth on the grounds and starts encountering different fantasy characters as she explores it. The movie is a combination of the harsh reality of the situation and the endearing fantasies of a little girl who's trapped in a reality that's almost too hard to bear. This is definitely not a children's movie because of the intense emotions depicted and the things that happen to the character's throughout. This is a very hard movie to get through but it is a great bit of storytelling and worth it to work thru it if you can.