Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      With Pacific Rim set to open in theaters this Friday, I'm devoting this week's recommended video pick to not just any Guillermo del Toro film. This masterpiece pick is in my opinion his best film ever.

      Pans Labyrinth is set in 1944 fascist Spain. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a girl fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), the ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy, somewhat resembling a stick insect, who takes her to a creature known as a Faun (Doug Jones) at a nearby ancient labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three challenging and gruesome tasks, all to be completed before the full moon. If she fails, however, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess. More importantly, she will never see her real father, the king of the underworld, again.

      This film may seem simplistic from what I just put, but believe me when I say that there is so much more depth to this hauntingly beautiful fairy tale. Guillermo del Toro is a directing genius. His style is one of the most unique in the trade and his storytelling ability is as strong as they come. The visuals and set pieces are phenomenal. You expect nothing short of amazing from del Toro anyway. The performances are superb, particularly Baquero's Ofelia and Lopez's sadistic portrayal of Captain Vidal. At the heart of this film though is the story. It's enchanting, thrilling, beautiful and horrific all rolled into one narrative that branches out into multiple stories, weaving in and out of both the reality of the brutal Spanish Civil War and the fantasy/horror of the labyrinth world Ofelia finds herself in. It's always a challenge, and a rather difficult one, to blend reality with fantasy. Del Toro though is one of the few filmmakers that can execute that style flawlessly. Just a note to those that do watch this. In spite of the film's elements of fantasy and wonderment, don't let the Faun and fairy creatures fool you. This is definitely an R rated film not meant for children. That being said, this is by far one of the best films - a top five even - of the past fifteen years.