Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth deserves the Best Foreign Film Academy Award nomination, and, had I seen it earlier, it would have been one of my top 10 films of 2006. It is something of a children’s fairytale story, but told in the context of the brutality of the Spanish Civil War. It took me a little while to get into the story but once inside it is quite compelling as a young girl arrives at countryside post with her mother, pregnant with child from her new fascist and sadistic Republican Commander husband. It is as if this girls’ only way of coping with a frightening stepfather and brutal reality is through the escapism of children’s fairytales. The imaginary creatures are frightening and creepy. But the reality of the Civil War is just as brutal if not more frightening than the girl’s imagination, as they torture and kill without impunity to teach the rebels a lesson. It is an unusual combination of reality and traditional fairytale storytelling that is effective and emotionally resonant. It is a heartfelt and memorable, it is one of those movies that stay with you after viewing due to the power of the imagery and unique aspects of the narrative.
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