It has to be said that Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most interesting, and talented, directors working in the fantasy field today, moving seemingly effortlessly between movies such Spanish movies such as Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone to US fantasy fodder such as Blade II and Hellboy. He returns to his native country for a story which seems a little less bloodthirsty than some of his work but very definitely reflects his vivid imagination, and although it sounds like a fairy tale, it certainly isn’t for young children. Young actress Ivana Baquero plays Ofelia, a girl who travels with her mother and stepfather to a very rural area in Northern Spain in 1944, with the country under strong Fascist rule. Increasingly afraid of the adults and the tension all around her, she retreats into a world of her own creation, which is where some of the stranger aspects of Del Toro’s imagination come in, and from some of the stills we’ve seen that’s very strange territory indeed, with influences such as Hironemous Bosch coming to mind. Interestingly this is very much the same territory as his wartime ghost story The Devil’s Backbone, a deft and memorable film which was extremely effective without resorting to outlandish effects or gore, and this would seem to be an extension of the same sort of atmosphere, sending it into wildly imaginative areas. It has to be said that Mexican Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most interesting and talented directors working in the fantasy field today, moving effortlessly between movies such Spanish productions such as Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone to US fantasy fodder such as Blade II and Hellboy. He returns to Spain for a story which is essentially a companion piece to The Devil’s Backbone, also being set during the War and dealing with the real demons, the monsters created by the ideologies which cause conflict. Excellent young actress Ivana Baquero plays Ofelia, a girl who travels with her mother and stepfather to a very rural area in Northern Spain in 1944, with the country under strong Fascist rule. Increasingly afraid of the adults and the tension all around her, she retreats into a fantasy world after a meeting with a towering, sinuous fawn, very much looking like the ancient Satyr of legend, but is this remarkable world, for which she is asked to perform various tasks, genuine or of her own creation, her way of escaping from the everyday nightmare of losing her real father, and the ghastly Fascist Captain Vidal (a stunning performance from Sergi Lopez), who has taken up with her ailing mother. Vidal is the embodiment of fascism, in demanding absolute unquestioning obedience from everyone under his command, and that also includes Ofelia and her mother. He is unthinkingly cruel, because he has been indoctrinated not to think, just to act, and the pitiless killing of some captured partisans is testament to that mind-set. In contrast the fantasy world has beauty, warmth and emotion. Doug Jones (Hellboy) makes the huge and potentially frightening Pan a fascinating and somehow wonderfully tactile creature, while also having a tempestuous side. Remarkably Del Toro makes both halves of the film work perfectly. One of the most celebrated sequences, Ofelia having to enter an ogre’s groaning banquet hall and remove a particular book without being tempted by the burgeoning table of food is as tense, and crucially, as realistic and important as her being hunted by the crazed and badly wounded Vidal in the final reels. With very fine performances throughout, including Maribel Verdu (E Tu Mama Tambien) as the resilient Mercedes, Del Toro makes Pan’s Labyrinth into a compelling and eventually emotionally moving story, a fantasy based in horrific reality,and a more than worthy winner of the Oscars for Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Make-Up, but remarkably not Best Foreign Language Film. A terrible oversight for what is one of the very finest, and most perfectly made, films of the year.