It’s the Spanish Civil War. A woman and her daughter move in with a sadistic general. The daughter loves fairy tales, and is often immersed in her own creative imagination.

So when she takes a large bug for a fairy and follows it into a maze where she meets a fawn, we’re left to wonder whether or not what’s happening is genuine. The film doesn’t really answer the question; instead, we’re treated to the magical adventures of 10-year-old (I think) Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), as she tries to prove to the faun that she is a princess. She meets a giant frog, a magical tree and a creature that probably belongs in a horror flick. These various escapades are not only fun, they’re visually dazzling (if that may sound redundant). Each different adventure leaves the audience wide-eyed in amazement.

I should point out that there’s much more to the film than the ‘Alice-in-Wonderland’ aspect that the film promotes. The film takes place during wartime; in fact nearly half the film is devoted to the intrigue surrounding the rebellion and the efforts of the general to suppress it. It mostly serves as a complement to Ofelia, the faun and the fairies, but the two parts add up to a very memorable film.