Best movie I've seen in years

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2007)

This movie moved me so much. It is a complex tale of fantasy, a child's belief in magic, Franco's Nationalist army's brutal ways and the primal fear of losing your parents. Just so well done, I can't recommend this movie enough. The only drawback is the brutal violence that I had to shut my eyes for, thus missing some of the dialogue since I don't know Spanish and had to rely on the sub-titles. The costume and make-up of the fantasy characters also add so much to the story. I can easily see this movie being turned into an assignment at college looking for the parallels between Ophelia's actions and those of the Republicans. The acting also is wonderful by all including the secondary character Mercedes. This brings up the directors's clever way in highlighting women's power in a Fascist world be it cultural or political by they fact that they are overlooked. I don't want to over-analyze this movie, it was very deep but at the same time very entertaining and you can take it to whatever depth you like and still enjoy it.