WOW!

That's the first thing I could say after seeing Pan's Labyrinth last night. WOW! Truly an amazing film and worthy of all the praise it is receiving! Writer/director Guillermo del Toro has certainly secured his place as one of my favorite directors with this (I became a fan after seeing Hellboy)!

This film is disturbing and beautiful at the same time. Flawlessly integrating stark realism with the fantastical. An adult fable that warns of the capacity for human cruelty and against the wisdom of unquestioning obedience.

The cinematography is breath taking. The acting is superb, especially from the little girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and the housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdu).

On a particularly geeky note, I was thrilled find out that the actor hidden under make-up as the Faun and the Pale Man (Doug Jones), appeared as one of the Gentlemen in the Buffy episode Hush! Squee! He also appeared in Hellboy as Abe Sapien! Very cool!

This movie is definitely a must see! Don't mind the subtitles, it's worth it! I will be adding this to my personal collection as soon as the dvd is released!!