Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is an international film that takes place in Spain 1944 during the civil war. The movie focuses on a girl and her "fantasies" who is sent with her pregnant mother to live with her sadistic and ruthless captain step-father in the country-side. During the night, Opehlia (Ivana Baquero) meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth who says she is a princess of another world and needs to prove her loyalty through a series of three gruesome tasks.

Uncomfortable with her new surroundings, suspicious of her stepfather and desperately concerned about the worsening condition of her mother, Ofelia uncovers a strange alternative world, and the chance to escape forever the pain and uncertainty of her everyday life. The film alternates between the world of Civil War Spain and the increasingly bizarre, dark and frightening world of the Pan's Labyrinth. As the twin plots progress, they intertwine, with the tasks of Ofelia becoming the choices faced by a Spain at the crossroads.

Overall, the movie isn't one that should be watched by children despite it's fantasy nature. The film looks at dark concepts of reality in a civil war and a child's way of escaping these harsh realities, however whether it is truly real or just her imagination is left for yourself to decide.

Rating: 9/10

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - IMDb