Spain, 1994. The Facists have control of the government with a few pockets of unrest in the mountains. As the military cracks down on the insurgents, a mother and daughter are escorted to the military headquarters. The daughter is Ofelia (Baquero) who believes in fairy tales, and loves to read, and her mother Carmen (Gil) is pregnant. They are traveling to join Ofelia's stepfather, Captain Vidal (Lopez) the cruel leader of the military.
After arriving, Ofelia befriends the housekeeper Mercedes (Verdu), and finds an old labyrinth on the grounds. In a combination of reality and fantasy (Ofelia loves fairy tales), she meets a "faun" Fauno (Jones) who reveals that Ofelia is actually the daughter of the King of the Underworld and she must complete 3 tasks in order to return to her kingdom. As the world around her grows darker, she looks for hope with the fairies and Fauno, getting in deeper and deeper.
This is not your typical, happy fairy tale. There is death...blood...torture...did I mention it is not suitable for children? It is a beautiful story, elegantly told. It isn't the story you expect, it isn't the ending you expect (although, looking back they do somewhat prepare you for it). It deserved all the Oscar buzz and awards that it garnered. Overall an effective story, and very enjoyable.
Rent it multiple times: A foreign language film, well worth reading the subtitles.
--: very beautiful.
El Laberinto del Fauno Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 119 minutes
Rating: R for graphic violence and some language.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ivana Baquero as Ofelia
Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal
Maribel Verdu as Mercedes
Doug Jones as Fauno / Pale Man
Ariadna Gil as Carmen Vidal
Alex Angulo as Doctor
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