Not for children

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2007)

Pan's Labrynth deserves a spot as one of the greatest movies of all time, in and outside of its genre.
Many hearing of the movie's plot, its involvement with mythical creatures and a magical world through a child's eyes, might confuse this for a family fairy tale; I think, at times, I might have preferred that.
In actuality, Pan's Labrynth borders on horror. Ivana Baquero plays a young girl named Ophelia who struggles through a life rapidly spiraling out of control, one she as a child cannot influence. A sickly mother, a brutal step-father, and amidst a war in literally her own backyard, one can't help but sympathize with Ophelia's desire to escape. She finds just that opportunity within an entity, the Faun, straight out of the fairytale books she carries about with her. The Faun himself seems frightening, almost demonic, with a snake-like tongue that leaves you unsure of whether his requests of the girl are truly in her best interest.
Ophelia, desperate to escape into a world so like the fairy tales she's read, sets off through dangerous territories as the Faun's request. Yet, as dangerous as her quests are, her return home becomes a gradual descent into the brutal darkness of her own human people, leaving one to question just who is the real monster in the movie.
In the end, it all seems very bitter; it starts to seem that no one really cared about Ophelia to begin with. I found myself so wrapped into the movie that I felt my own heart-breaking despair. I kept hoping it would suddenly get better, that someone would rescue Ophelia and protect her from the darkness encroaching from every corner.
It's hard to say whether Pan's Labrynth truly had a happy ending. Losing the people who meant most to her, one was left behind, one last person who cared, and it seems no one in this story leaves without their wounds. The entire movie, from beginning to end, tugs at the darkest despair and deepest sadness you could only hope to avoid, with every happy moment tinged with poignancy.
I think, all in all, this is a very adult movie that a family can enjoy with some serious parental guidance; the horrors within are as fascinating as the wonders to come. The top-notch acting will draw you in and hold you despite any language barrier (cleverly overcome with subtitles) and when it's finally over, it's hard not to feel the shame, anger, and triumph, as if the trials were yours alone.