Cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Alex Angulo

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: R

reviewed by Charity Bishop
 

I had heard a great deal about this film prior to renting it. It was heavily nominated at the Oscars and a favorite of the critics, but its presentation in Spanish as well as its gruesomeness prevented me from immediately seeing it. In some respects I am glad to have waited because several years older, I am more able to appreciate its nuances and see past the content to the heart of a very strange, rather sinister little movie.

The remarriage of her mother Mercedes (Verdu) has forced the repositioning of eleven year old Ofelia (Baquero) into the Spanish countryside. The war that has torn her nation in two has ended but there are still resistance fighters concealed in the valleys and her stepfather, the brutal and unforgiving Captain Vidal (Lopez) has been stationed there to subdue them. Upon her arrival, Ofelia is struck with wonder at the appearance of a labyrinth on the outskirts of the property, and befriends a small bug-like creature who that night persuades her to follow it into the wood. Ethereal in its new appearance (it manipulated itself to look like one of the fairies in her book) it takes her into the depths of the cavern in the center of the labyrinth, where she meets a sinister Faun (Jones), who informs her that she is more than likely the lost spirit of an ancient princess of the underworld, and if she completes three tasks before the rising of the next moon, she will be restored to her power and position in her father's household.

Bequeathing her with a book that contains instructions for the first task and a small bag of jewels, the Faun vanishes into the darkness, leaving her to wonder if it has been nothing more than a dream. Ofelia's first task (to destroy an enormous toad poisoning the roots of a local fig tree) coincides with an important state dinner of her father's, and her bedraggled appearance on returning distresses her mother, who is experiencing a difficult and painful pregnancy. In the meantime, her stepfather seeks to subdue the insurgents, little knowing a member of his household is working against him. The film is both a grim look at the realities of a cruel war and a fairy tale -- in many respects, the fantasy aspects are meant to draw us out of the horrors of reality, but also further illustrate them. For all the monstrous things we encounter (the evil toad, a ghastly pale creature that feeds on children, and even the creepy Faun) somehow it is Captain Vidal that strikes us with the most horror, because his barbarity is real, so much so that I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I saw him.

Much could be written about the underlining messages and symbolism in this grim fairy tale, but I will restrain myself to its smaller nuances. Whether or not the fantasy aspect is genuine or Ofelia imagining an escape to the horrors of her life is unclear, although the screenwriter and the audience lean toward it actually happening through a series of minute but important factors (like, if she could not have drawn a magical door, how did she escape imprisonment?). It is both a fairy tale of a Grimm sort and a horror story, as well as an explorations of the gruesome realities of war, and yet there is something intensely stirring and remarkably beautiful about it. Even in its most hideous moments it is magical and unique. I feared listening to it in its original language would take away from the wonders of the film, but it is easy to become accustomed to the subtitles. I love Spanish films. There is something surreal and unusual about them and this is no exception. However, it is not a movie that one can watch lightly or should be shown to children. The sheer amount of gore, frightening images, implied scenes of torture and brutality, make it strictly adult-only.

Some of the violence involved includes people being shot in the head at close range, a teenager being beaten to death with a broken bottle, a man being repeatedly stabbed (once in the face), and all number of exchanges of gunfire. Injured men are shot and tortured. A fantasy creature tears fairies apart with his sharp teeth. A giant toad vomits its internal organs out, forcing Ofelia to dig through them to find a golden key. A mandrake is thrown onto a fire and the audience watches as it writhes and screams before it dies. Blood covers the front of a woman's gown as she starts to give birth. A man slaps and shakes a child. Two of the main characters are killed. There is a mild religious aspect that shies away from direct reincarnation but Ofelia is told that her soul has been reborn in a mortal form and should return to the underworld. There are minor negative remarks about Catholicism, but the film carries symbolic themes of death, the blood of innocence, and redemption. There is quite a bit of minor profanity, several harsh abuses of deity, and four f-words.

I am not sure that audiences can say they truly enjoyed this film. I know that I cannot. Fortunately, I was spared all the most gruesome violence but what remains is still emotionally disturbing. It haunts me, because I sense something beneath the surface that is crying out for recognition. I found it fascinating, deeply complicated, and tremendously sad, but am not certain if it is a film I could revisit more than once or twice. For all its wonder, its brutality and themes of darkness linger on long after the final credits.