Movies such as Pan’s Labyrinth don’t appear too often in theaters. This dark and disturbing fairytale is one of the most unique films I have encountered in quite some time. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth pushes the limits of fantasy versus reality.

The storytelling in this film is exceptional and the visual effects outstanding. Pan’s Labyrinth paints a perfect picture about how a child’s imagination can be used to cope with the horrors of war and violence. The transition from the films two parallel worlds are so fluid, that the movie seems to flow from one world to another without distraction. The actors although relatively unknown, are perfect for their roles. Ivana Baquero who stars as the little girl Ofelia, and Sergi López who plays the sadistic captain, really make this film a memorable one.

In closing, I want to make it very clear that this film is not a children’s movie. There are some scenes in the film that will make even the most “Macho” men cringe. The brutality and vulgarity in some of the scenes are pretty gruesome, so its best to keep this film off limits to the younger audience.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is the story of a young girl who travels with her pregnant mother to live with her mother’s new husband in a rural area up North in Spain, 1944, after Franco’s victory. The girl lives in an imaginary world of her own creation and faces the real world with much chagrin. Fascist repression towards the end of World War II (1944) is at its height in rural Spain and the girl must come to terms with that through a fable of her own.

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