One of the greatest European fantasy films ever made!

Rating: 8/10 (22 October 2007)

For a long time, I thought that this film was based onto a book by Stephen King. It had the same peculiar atmosphere where fantasy and reality comes together. However: this Spanish movie has nothing to do with the famous American horror author.
"El laberinto del fauno" tells the story of a little girl named Ofelia captured in a harsh reality of the post-civil war in Spain and how she dreams up a sinister yet captivating fantasy world in order to escape the cold reality. Neither her pregnant and sick mother nor her stepfather who's a sadistic army officer will tolerate this kind of behaviour and they both feel the little girl has grown too old for reading children's books and believing in magic.
The big question is of course: is this dream world of hers real or not? Some things suggest that it's definitely real whilst other moments confirm that it most certainly is not. The beauty is that the answer to this question is never given and as such: anyone watching this Spanish movie gets the unusual freedom to decide themselves whether or not the little girl's fantasy is true. It's a rare thing in movie business and also a lot of fun trying to figure out the truth yourself.
I loved both worlds and their mutual diversity and that's why I firmly believe this fantasy world to be just as much a reality. There are some things that the little girl couldn't possibly have known herself. For example: at a given moment, the pale-looking and very sick mother is suddenly recovering and nobody - not even the local doctor - could come up with a plausible explanation for this miracle. Truth of the matter is that this mysterious healing is caused by a simple root of a specific tree in the forest that one of the fantasy creatures gave to the little girl. This part unmistakably proves that there is another world out there. Besides: the film would be no where near as interesting if the fantasy world of hers would turn out to be a fake one.
The only flaw in this movie that I can think of, is the lack of tension. There wasn't a single terrifying moment to be found in this soft fantasy-thriller. The closest we ever came to being scared was the introduction of the sickly and skinny humanoid alien. This creature was amazingly original and very cool. It had a face with no eyes. Instead, it had eye sockets in its hands in which it had to place its eyes in order to be able to see. But even so: it wasn't very scary and this movie could've easily used a couple of horrific scenes. The beating of an innocent young man by Captain Vidal, a brutal and unforgiving idealist, actually provides the biggest shock of all! The only other strange creature is the Faun. Even though this one looks pretty gloomy as well, it is in fact a warm-hearted companion who only wants the best for Ofelia. It somehow kept me reminding of the man-made plague Randall Flagg in Stephen Kings classic tale "The stand". Both creatures do look alike more or less. There are also a few elves in this story and a disgusting toad which the little girl will encounter during her trial for proving that she is in fact a genuine princess. These are but a few of the wonderful special effects that are being used.
Since this is a Spanish film, I honest-to-God don't know too many of its actors. But all of the acting is quite good. Especially Sergi López as the ruthless Captain and Ivana Baquero as the little girl Ofelia really shine in their performances. Director Guillermo del Toro is the most famous of all involved. He isn't a stranger in making movies about weird and wonderful creatures. Both "Blade II" and "Hellboy" were directed by him.
In short: This is certainly one of the very best Spanish films I have ever seen! The reality of war in this movie is cold and brutal and its opposing fantasy world is warm yet mysteriously menacing. Too bad this film feels like a children's movie from time to time when they could've created a full-blown dark thriller.