Pan's Labyrinth is a dark, Spanish fantasy film that was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. The narrative unfolds on multiple levels. First is a fantasy level. Second is "real world" level. Third is the story of the movie. Fourth is the Spanish Civil War. All level reflects similar themes: Fantasy, reality, fascism, democracy, human brutality, human innocence, lyrical heroism, secular heroics. Guillermo del Toro was born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. While being raised by his grandmother, del Toro during his teen years started to develop a liking in filmmaking. He later learned about makeup and effects from the "Godfather of makeup," Dick Smith, who is most famous for his work in The Godfather and The Exorcist. Guillermo worked on a few short films and at the age of 21, in 1973, executive produced his first feature, Dona Herlinda and Her Son (IMDB). Other films that Toro is known for are Blade 2 and The Hellboy Series. Del Toro writes using a Mexican literary tradition called "Magical Realism." Magical realism is a genre where magical elements are a natural part of an otherwise ordinary human environment. The film takes place in Spain five years after the Spanish Civil War. The main character, a young girl named Ofelia, moves from the city into a military occupied mill due to her mother marrying the Fascist Captain, Vidal, who believes strongly in fascism and was assigned to conquer anti-Franco rebels. Carmen enters into the marriage because her husband was a victim of the Spanish Civil War. Carmen is pregnant with Vidal's son. Vidal sees Carmen only as a vehicle for his male legacy. She is unaware of his callous intentions. On the way to the mill, Ofelia's mother began to fill ill and tells the driver to stop the car to get some fresh air. Ofelia finds a stone the ground that has an eye on it and her curiosity causes her to wander off the road where she finds a statue missing an eye. When she matches the stone th