What happens when make-believe believes it’s real?

When I tell you that Pan’s Labyrinth is the prize of my foreign movie collection, you will soon see why. I am a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro because his movies have such artistic vision, depth, and creativity as if he has the mind of a mad scientist. It’s so freakishly awesome that I almost explode when discussing his work with others. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) is not just one of his best movies so far–it is the most visually captivating movie, in my opinion, of all time!

Ah such beauty! Such a marvel to watch!  A perfect fairy tale for adults written by Guillermo Del Toro. The movie starts out like a fairy tale: a princess that was so curious about the world of man that she stole away from her protectors and climbed long stairs to the surface of our world. As soon as the she sees the sunlight, she loses her memory of who she was and where she came from. On the surface world, she became cold and died with her soul lost in the world of man for all eternity. Depending on what you may believe, the soul is eternal! Her father, the King, knows of this truth and is aware that his daughter’s spirit will soon return to him. Therefore, he sent messengers–fairies–to the top world to look for signs of his daughter so that he can return her back to her kingdom.

Now in comes the star of the movie, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero). Ofelia reminds me so much of myself–always reading books and dreaming of fairy tales and the unknown. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil),  pregnant with her little brother, is the only person in her reality–for now. Her mother was always very ill during her pregnancy and Ofelia would calm her little brother in her mother’s tummy by reading to him. While on their way to meet her mother’s new husband or Ofelia’s new stepfather, her mother became ill and had to stop the car. Ofelia wanders off into the nearby forest and notices a stone out of place.  After replacing the stone,  a locust appeared out of the mouth of the statue.  Ofelia thinks that is a mythical creature and follows it into the nearby labyrinth.  This chance encounter begins this beautiful and stunning tale featuring the imaginative creations that only Guillermo del Toro can deliver!

After meeting her new stepfather, Ofelia could tell right away that she would not be happy living there.  There she also meets  Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) who is kind and gentle to her, (Mercedes plays a significant role in this tale). Well do you remember the locust mentioned earlier? It came to visit Ofelia and soon after she meets a Faun that help to navigate Ofelia on a path of mystery and intrigue.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a beautifully stunning tale that takes your heart and imagination by storm!  And of course, I will hold out on many of the specific details of this movie.

Source Pan’s Labyrinth