Economy Size Geek

Laberinto del fauno, El (2006)

Ok full disclosure - I’ve seen more than a few movies, and I’ve been remiss in reviewing them. I blame is split between this movie and one other (I’ll get to that later).

I didn’t review it right away because it took me a little while to soak in this film. I’m not sure what I thought I was getting into when I went to see it. I suppose I expected some kind of other worldly fantasy. It had that, but it had a lot more of the real world in it than I thought it would.

Keep in mind - that real world - isn’t the shiny happy real world you and I live in. Instead it is the fascist Spain of 1944 (Says so right in IMDB). What that means is you ride shotgun with a young girl who is trapped in a dark violent world of adults.

I don’t think I can really stress this enough - this is not some Harry Potter kiddie film. There are some very creepy monsters (hello guy with eyes in his hands) , but the “normal” people are much worse. If you don’t like violence, especially the brutally realistic kind - get some popcorn as soon as you see some hunters get caught - come back in about 10 minutes and you should be safe.

I wish the plot was simple to explain - the film operates in the harsh world of a war with an overlay of fantasy world that promises to grant the young girl the power to escape her fate.

I suppose I’ve been watching too much sweeps week television - I was a little thrown off by the end because I expected them to try some sort of gimmick - which they resisted. Instead you’re left with a moment were you get to decide what happened. Not in a gimmicky - twisty - way but more of a glass half empty/half full kind of way.

Bottom line: It is dark and beautiful, violent and hopeful - if you can handle the subtitles it is worth the effort!