Pan's Labyrinth

How is it that this movie has been out in theaters since December and I had not heard anyone talk about it till last Sunday? My friend told me over lunch about it and she said to walk in and just soak it in without doing any research.

I did just that and it was good that curiosity did not get better of me. The film has two strikes against it: The main character is played by a child actress and the screenplay by Guillermo del Toro who did Hellboy which I thought was plain goofy. I would have passed had I known.

I am usually put off by child actors because they tend to go overboard on either cuteness or precociousness. But the little girl who played "Ofelia" was virtually flawless in this movie which I will only characterize as an "adult fairy tale" with depth and meaning told through the eyes of an innocent young girl.

The story has left me stunned, numb, and sad, but hopeful and renewed all at the same time. That is all I will say about it because any more from my big mouth (or keyboard) will only ruin what I promise to be a very enriching cinema experience for you. Two thumbs up.