11 year old Ophelia overcomes obstacles to discover her true purpose.

Rating: 10/10 (22 May 2012)

This film is one of the few I have viewed that can merge such different genres as fantasy and historical thriller. The fact that the main character, an 11 year old girl, Ophelia can be caught in two such dangerous worlds, is quite astounding. The other characters in this film are participants in one or another, the faun and fairies in the fantasy, the captain, mother and servants in the midst of the Spanish Revolution. The youngest, and therefore considered weakest, least mature of the characters is given the task to not only survive in both worlds, but to thrive and succeed in the tasks given to her. Despite bombs, and the loss of her only biological parental figure, as well as being hunted by monsters and suspicious fantasy characters alike, we find that Ophelia beats all odds and becomes the most prosperous of the characters. Despite that to the eyes of those grounded in the revolutionary realm, Ophelia dies, there is still hope that from death, life can still prosper. This is one of the most successful movies I have seen at merging what is considered real, from what is imagined, and leaving the audience to decide which is the truth.