Getting lost in a fairytale

Here's another movie review.

Pan's Labyrinth (2007)

This movie by Guillermo del Toro is a story of a young girl who goes by the name Ofelia, her pregnant mother and her stepfather. It's also seems to be about the Spanish Civil War, or possibly its aftermath.

Ofelia's stepfather is one of the most vicious villains to appear in a movie in a while as he wants to protect everything that's his by getting rid of the rebels in the area. Not only does he kill those he finds, he tortures surviving captives to get information as well.

That's one side of the story. The other side deals with a Faun (or Pan), other magical creatures and Ofelia's quest to fulfill her destiny. Your appreciation of the movie might depend on your ability to accept this as reality - or at least the reality that is presented in the movie.

As far as I'm concerned, both sides of the story work really well, and some parallels between the magical world and the actual situation for people during this time can be drawn. I believe I get what Guillermo was trying to show us with this movie, and it's something that a lot of people need to see.