A beautiful but hard-biting portrait of a girl's mental escape from the Spanish Civil War

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2006)

Guillermo del Toro thinks his latest production to be his best to date, and perfectly describes it as "a powerfully moving story, profoundly human and dramatic." Throughout the film there is a contrast between the fairytale land that the young Ofelia is mixed up in and the brutal goings on of the Spanish Civil War that surround her. One minute fairies flutter around her face, and the next minute we see her step father - "el capitán" - shooting two suspected propagandists at point blank range. The acting is very powerful throughout, with the perfect balance of innocence and enquiry from young Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, and a very convincing 'baddie' in Sergi López's Capitán Vidal, seeming to show absolutely no love for anything or anyone, other than his future child who he is sure will be a son - when the doctor says that it is not certain the baby will be male, the Captain replies 'no me jodas' (don't f*** with me). The film is beautiful from start to finish, with CGI perfectly fusing with the real rural images of a lodge deep in the forest. The film uses the horrific nature of the war to give added power without becoming overly politicised, for which del Toro must be commended. Overall a fantastic piece of film-making, and I look forward to seeing it again.