I've wanted to see this film for the longest time. I'd heard so many good things about it, and I'm pleased to report it's an awesome film. Very imaginative, beautifully shot and acted, lots of depth and layering to the film. I didn't even mind that it was in Spanish with English subtitles (the video shop girl said that people were putting it back when they found out it was subtitled - a real shame!).

The historical period was interesting, and I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the Franco period of Spain's history, but clearly it wasn't very pleasant - facism doesn't seem to lead to anything good. Surprisingly while the film has been marketed as a fantasy, it's not a fantasy in the vein of Labyrinth or Dark Crystal. I think that the fantasy elements was the young girl trying to impose some kind of control over the world around her - she imagines this fairytale going on around her as a metaphor for dealing with the horrors of her everyday life. There's also an element of rebellion from Ofelia against her horrific stepfather, and her quest helps to internally justify her rebellion against him. There is a lot of mirroring between characters, and between the real world and fantasy world too - Ofelia rebels against her stepfather, Mercedes against the captain, the Rebels against the fascists. There are little faun heads on doors and the knobs atop the stair bannister, the Captain's dinner party mirrors the Pale Man's banquet, obtaining the key from the gluttinous toad mirrors Mercedes obtaining the store key from the fascists, and so on. There are so many layers in this film, and it is obvious a great deal of effort has gone into its conception and mythology.

I would not show this to small children however, as some of the violence is quite graphic. In a way that isn't a bad thing, as it is never unjustifiable violence, and it is portrayed very matter-of-fact and not glorified - it makes it more horrific and less cartoon-like. Although there is violence in both worlds, the fantasy world is brighter and more appealing than the real world. So its understandable why Ofelia would wish to escape the real world and return to the Underworld.

Definitely give this a rent - it's a beautiful film and so much better than some of the US made crap that has come out lately. It's not a dumb film, and you'll exercise your brain cells, while your eyes appreciate the richness of the film.

Plot Synopsis:

Ofelia is being taken from the city by her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather in the country of Spain in 1944. Her stepfather, Captain Vidal, is in charge of an outpost run by the fascist government at the end of World War II. He is a brutal, uncaring man, given to bouts of extreme cruelty. He seems more concerned with his unborn child, than Ofelia or her mother. He is charged with capturing the Spanish rebels in the hills.

Ofelia is led by a fairy (in actuality a stick insect) into the woods where she comes across a ruin. She is later introduced to the faun who tells her she is actually a princess from the underworld, and she can return home if she completes three tasks to ascertain her soul is intact. He gives her a book which will tell her what to do.

Ofelia's mother is very sick and is bedridden with a difficult pregnancy. Mercedes the housekeeper is charged with caring for her, but secretly she is aiding the rebels in the hills. The doctor is also providing medicine to the rebels.

Ofelia accomplishes the first task, retrieving the key from the giant toad. But she makes an error in the second task, taking the food from the banquet table and waking the Pale Man. She narrowly escapes being eaten, but loses two of the faun's fairies. In the faun's anger, he refuses to allow her to return.

The stepfather finds out about the Doctor's betrayal and kills him. Ofelia's mother dies in childbirth. The Stepfather finds out about the housekeeper's betrayal, but she manages to escape to the rebels.

The faun returns for a last chance and she takes her baby brother to the center of the labyrinth as her stepfather follows (he's been drugged by some opium/ morphine that Ofelia put in his drink). When asked to sacrifice the baby so she can open the door to the underworld kingdom, she refuses and the faun leaves. The captain finds her, takes back the baby and shoots her in the stomach. Upon leaving the labyrinth he sees the rebels surrounding him as he hands over the baby to the housekeeper. He requests that they tell his son later... but she cuts him off saying the child will not even carry his name. Her brother shoots him and they head into the labyrinth to find Ofelia.

Ofelia is dying and the housekeeper holds her in her arms and hums a lullaby as Ofelia drifts away. She is "transported" to the throneroom where the king/ father says that choosing to spill her own blood over the blood of an innocent (babay brother) was the right solution to the last task. She is then welcomed by the faun and invited to sit next to her mother and father. The narrator ends saying that the princess reigned wisely for many years, and there are still signs of her passing in the moral realm if one knows where to look - a single white flower growing on the dead tree that contained the toad.