Beautiful, surreal, chilling masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2008)

This film is definitely one of the best I have seen in 2007, if not in my life.
Its dark, dreamy and surreal fantasy elements (Faun, child-eating Pale Man, giant toad, etc.) offer a stark contrast against the horror and macabre realism of the portrayal of Civil war Spain. However, the two elements are so professionally intertwined that they could not have made half as good a film had they existed separately.
I will not go too much into the story, because I want to promote the viewing of this amazing film, but I will say this: The heroine is a young, imaginative girl, Ofelia, who dwells in fairy tales. All around her is the reality of war, her mother's difficult pregnancy and her fascist stepfather's brutality. It is impossible to know whether the fantasy is her imagination, or whether it is taking place for real. Yet the message is clear: Ofelia's innocence-driven courage triumphs in its own, if small and not universally significant, way.
This film is definitely not for children. Its fantasy is mature and frightening (and there is not *too* much of it), not the sugar-coated Disney kind. The director is not afraid to portray war in all its pain and terror, and makes us sick to the stomach with the bloody slaughter and torture scenes. None of the violence is gratuitous and pointless though, and it all serves a purpose. The film's central plot stays remarkably human all the way through, sneaking in some beautifully moving scenes of true love, mercy and devotion amongst the destruction. And the sad and moving ending is not Hollywood style. It is fascinating listening to the Spanish language, and the dialogue is so natural and artistic (as is the whole film), I actually enjoyed reading the subtitles!
Do yourself a favor - watch this amazing film!