Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale set against the backdrop of post-Civil War Spain. The creature design and storytelling are stunning.
What makes it haunting is how the fantasy and the real world mirror each other. The monsters a young girl imagines are no worse than the very human cruelty around her. It is beautiful and brutal at the same time, and the ending stayed with me. Not for kids, despite the fairy-tale look.
Highly recommended. 5/5 stars.