If there's such a thing as dark whimsy, director Guillermo del Toro would be the master. His newest film, "Pan's Labyrinth," spins a fairytale with nightmarish images intertwined all surrounding one little girl's life.
Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) finds herself being dragged across country with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), to live in a rural town with Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), her new stepfather. It's 1944 in Spain and the Civil War has just ended. The Captain has been sent to put down the rebels that are hiding in the forest around the town.
The Captain brought his new family to his new home because he wouldn't have his son -- which is the only type of child he says his new bride will have -- born anywhere else. The Captain rules with an iron fist, a proud man prone to extreme cruelty. Do not cross him, or you will be stopped -- and he is not above brutality and he loves pain.
To escape the sadness of her new world, Ofelia dreams up a world where she is a princess and a faun, or satyr, is her guide. One night she awakes and is visited by an insect that looks like a preying mantis, but transforms into a fairy. She is led to a labyrinth that is ruled over by the faun Pan (Doug Jones). He tells her who she is and says that her father is waiting for her in another realm.
However, she must complete three tasks prior to the full moon's rising before she can see her real father ever again. They must be sure she is the princess and not just a mortal. Ofelia must complete these tasks in order to reclaim her throne. Each task is difficult and scary, but so is her life outside her dreamscape.
Del Toro is known for mixing dark and light worlds with unreal creatures. From "Hellboy" to "Blade II," he always has at least one actor in full make-up and body suit. However, there haven't been creatures as threatening and scary as the two in "Pan's Labyrinth."
But it's the stunning cinematography and storytelling that separates the subpar action movies from this masterpiece. Every fairytale has its villains and its heroes, the happy times, sad times and scary times, and "Pan's" tends to keep to the dark themes.
Most of "Pan's Labyrinth" is shot in muted tones or dark colors with only the moon to light the scene conveying a sense of foreboding. Much of the time, there's a rumbling in the sky as the rain pours down. Not even the light can be considered a safe place. The bright scenes, like during one of the tasks, gives a false sense of security.
Ofelia's story is all that it can be -- sad, hopeful, chilling, exciting -- and she is no ordinary girl. Full of wonderment and determination, she's stronger than any regular 12 year old. Any other girl of that age would have probably ran screaming in the other direction if an insect the size of a football came anywhere near her. Baquero has the right amount of innocence and maturity to pull off the role.
Also performing handily is Lopez as the Captain. He's one sick and twisted man. There are times on screen when he does things that will shock while other times make people squirm in their seats.
"Pan's Labyrinth" isn't someone's ordinary bedtime story. If it was a story written down rather than on screen, certain scenes would have peoples' imaginations working for the story and against them. Let's say that there would be plenty of sleepless nights in the future. However, del Toro was able to keep the story going and let the imagination work for Ofelia and "Pan."
Whether "Pan's" utilizes the picturesque, fairytale ending is up to the viewer. This is a movie that's beautiful and deceptive. It's a world that, although dark and frightening does have bright spots.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
