Pan's Labyrinth

Produced by Esperanto Films, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a Spanish fantasy-thriller realeased in 2006. Set right after the Spanish Civil War, it tells the story of a reincarnated princess and her pregnant mother who go to live with her mother's fiancé, a spanish captain, at his military camp.  Mysterious events begin to take place when the young Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, discovers the labyrinth containing the portal that leads back to the magical world from which she escaped centuries ago.

This was my second time watching this film, and I loved it just as much as the first time, if not more. First of all, the story in itself is incredible. Guillermo del Toro does a phenomenal job of parallelling fantasy and reality between the eery magical tasks Ofelia must complete and the atrocities of war that occur at the military camp around her. With these contrasting themes, the viewer is constantly enticed by either violent, creepy, thrilling or wondrous scenes. Between Ofelia's challenge to return to her kingdom, her mother's struggle to give birth to her baby, the Captain's battle against the remaining soldiers from the war, and the servant Mercedes's efforts to secretly betray the Captain by aiding the troops, there are numerous compelling stories to follow throughout the movie that maintain the audience's attention.

The acting in this film was fantastic and helped the quality of the story sky-rocket. All of the actors were extremely convincing in their roles and provoked the exact emotions that were expected from the audience. For instance, Ivana Baquero as Ofelia maintained her role of youth and innocence over the course of the film and often made the viewer feel either scared of hopeful when necessary. The Captain, played by Sergi Lopez, always provoked an immediate tension and elment of fear as soon as he entered a scene because of his intensity and dedication to the mean-spiritedness of his role.

Although this film contains quite a bit of gruesome violence and scary scenes, I would strongly recommend it to anyone above the age of 14 because of its terrific acting and unforgettable story.