Pan's Labyrinth is not ordinary, which, more than its other merits, is why you've likely heard of it before. The fantasy elements alone make the story appealing, being original with attractive, dark visuals. The real uniqueness, however, comes from how fantasy is combined with the very real and gruesome events at a small military camp, ruled with an iron fist by the sadistic Capitán Vidal. So sadistic, in fact, that if you're easily shocked by violence, you might want to skip this movie entirely.

Ivana plays Ofelia, barely a teenager, who arrives to the camp with her pregnant and unwell mother, Carmen. Carmen has recently married Vidal, a man unknown to Ofelia and a strong supporter of Franco's fascist reign. From the start she is determined not to call him father, a notion not improved by his frightening behavior. The captain is an intensely cold, cruel and imposing person, who we quickly learn cares much more of his soon-to-be-born son than of his wife, let alone Ofelia.

On the way to the camp Ofelia discovers a large stick insect, which she finds fascinating. She is woken by the insect on her first night at the camp, and it leads her into the small stone labyrinth nearby. There she meets a faun, named Pan, who tells her she is in fact the princess of an ancient underworld, born into a human body, just the kind of thing that one of Ofelia's fairly tale books told of. If a faun makes you think of the good natured Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe, forget that. This one is much more alien and creative, and to the end you'll remain uncertain about its intentions. While the faun can't visually compare with the latest and greatest special effects, it's an impressive rendition of the concept, and not easily forgettable.

Ofelia is given three tasks to complete in order to prove her nobility. One involves fetching a key from inside a giant toad, nested within a slimy tunnel beneath an old tree. In another she faces a remarkably disturbing, vaguely human-like creature with its eyeballs on a plate in front of it. Scenes like these are particularly effective when they are framed against the bleak reality of Vidal's camp. Despite her understandable apprehension about the faun, Ofelia voices no objections over her frightening tasks. There is some resemblance to Alice in Wonderland in Ofelia's open minded, matter-of-fact approach to the ambiguous wonderland she faces. In particular, her crawling on all fours into the dark tunnel of the toad brought to mind Alice's rabbit hole. This isn't necessarily accidental, as the director mentions having drawn inspiration from the books. In any case, there is no feeling of imitation.

Another worry for Ofelia is her mother, who stays in bed most of the time, sick and depressed. Even then the two bring comfort to each other, sharing the bed and going about everyday things together. Though some might find Ivana a little old for sleeping snuggled up to her mother, she's entirely natural doing so as Ofelia. In mainstream productions, a bedtime scene with a little girl is a certain recipe for cutesiness, but Pan's Labyrinth avoids that trap entirely. (Not that I have anything against cutesiness.)

Events at the camp fold around Vidal's campaign to crush a resistance group in the surrounding forest. The civil war has just ended, and no method is too harsh in wiping out the remaining loyalists. When one member of the resistance is captured, Vidal gets to express himself by means of pliers, knives and other instruments that, as Vidal puts it, allow him to trust the prisoner's words. That some in the camp support the resistance is perhaps predictable, but the story remains suspenseful all the same, especially as you've had some taste of Vidal's means against his opposition. In middle of this is Ofelia's mother, sick and very pregnant, who certainly gets no affection from her new husband.

Ofelia was originally meant to be 8 years old, which would be more in line with her interest in fairytales. As it is, 11-year-old Ivana plays a character who is maybe a little naive about some things, but not childish in any negative sense. Ivana herself, especially in interviews, comes across as a mature and intelligent person. Her acting is low key, and grows on you during the film. While she has the most screen time of all the characters, she has only a modest range of interaction with human characters. Even then, it's safe to say she's a fine actress. It would have been nice if she'd gained such notoriety several years ago, but even so, I have a feeling any movie she makes in the next few years will earn a mention on this site.