Guillermo del Toro's latest film is his masterpiece to date - a fantasy juxtaposing the brutal reality of the Spanish Civil War with a world of fantasy so rich and amazing, it makes your breath catch in your chest.

I don't want to give any spoilers here at all, but I do want to say that this film is so poignant, so beautiful, and just so rich and wonderful you will not want to miss it.  You won't be able to see it until November, but we were fortunate enough to be asked to a screening last night.  When it is out, I urge you to go - put aside your worries about the subtitles (it's in Spanish) - go , go, GO!

One of the principal actors is Doug Jones, best known as Abe Sapien in Hellboy.  Doug Jones is amazing (and unrecognizable here) in his ability to act past the intricate makeup of the Faun, and is deliciously terrifying as the Pale Man. 

This guy is poised to do such great things, he is so elegant and wonderful - I shudder to think of the Faun having been done all CGI rather than a living actor, especially one this caliber.

Very briefly, the story centers on Ofelia (and the young actress who plays her is nothing short of great), a young girl caught in a fearful world turned upside down.  Her father, a tailor, was killed in the fighting (the story takes place in 1944 during the Spanish Civil War).  Her mother has remarried and is suffering a terrible pregnancy.  Her stepfather is a rigid and cruel captain of the new fascist regime sent to a damp and rural area to flush the remaining guerillas out of the surrounding forest.  Ofelia instantly begins to explore, finds an abandoned hedge-type maze where she discovers a Faun, who tells her she is really the daughter of the King of the Underworld, and her true name is Princess Moanna.  He tells her she must complete three tasks to determine whether she is still worthy to inherit her legacy and return to her true home, or if she has become a mortal.  From there, the story spins and weaves in a magical tapestry, twining in and out of the brutal reality of her life more and more often and then returning to this mystical fantasy world.

This film made me remember why I love movies, why I want to love them, at least.  Del Toro's vision is so vital and passionate, it is so refreshing to see a film that is obviously a labor of love rather than a marketing tool for toys.  It's obvious that he does the big studio flicks as a way of financing these smaller, much more affecting films of his.  This is a disturbing, wonderful fairy tale - not suitable for all ages, but one you should definitely see as soon as you can.  And even if you get passes or get in free somehow, go and PAY to see it - send a message to Hollywood that THIS is what we want.  All the bells and whistles in the world will never take the place of a great story told with love and reverence by a great storyteller, and that is what Pan's Labyrinth is.