Spain, 1944
The Civil War is over.
Hidden in the mountains,
armed men are still fighting the new Fascist regime.
Military posts are established to exterminate the Resistance.
A long time ago,
in the Underground Realm, where there are no lies or pain,
there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world.
She dreamt of blue skies, soft breeze and sunshine.
One day,
eluding her keepers, the princess escaped.
Once outside...
the bright sun blinded her and erased her memory.
She forgot who she was and where she came from.
Her body suffered cold, sickness and pain. And eventually she died.
However, her father, the king,
always knew that the Princess' soul would return,
perhaps in another body,
in another place, at another time.
He would wait for her, until he drew his last breath,
until the world stopped turning.
Why did you bring so many books, Ofelia?
We're going to the country, the outdoors.
Fairy tales?
You're a bit too old to be filling your head with such nonsense.
Ask him to stop the car.
Ofelia, wait.
Your brother's not well.
Madam, are you okay?
Ofelia?
Ofelia, Come here.
- I saw a fairy. - Just look at your shoes!
Let's go.
When we get to the mill, come out to greet the Captain.
I want you to call him Father.
You have no idea how good he's been to us.
It's just a word, Ofelia... just a word...
They're coming, Captain.
15 minutes late.
Carmen.
Welcome.
That's not necessary. I can walk perfectly well.
Doctor Ferreiro prefers that you don't exert yourself.
No.
Come. Do it for me.
Thank you.
Ofelia, come out.
Say hello to the Captain.
Ofelia.
It's the other hand, Ofelia.
Mercedes!
- Bring the luggage. - Sir.
It's a labyrinth.
Just a pile of old rocks that have always been here.
Even before the mill.
Better not to go in there. You may get lost.
Thank you.
Have you read them all?
Mercedes!
The Captain is calling.
Your father needs me.
He's not my father.
The Captain is not my father.
My father was a tailor. He died in the war.
He's not my father.
You've made that clear enough. Shall we go?
Have you seen my mother?
- Isn't she beautiful! - Yes.
She's sick with baby. Did you notice?
The guerrillas are sticking to the woods
because it's hard to track them up there.
Those bastards know the terrain better than any of us.
We'll block all access to the woods
Food, medicine- we'll store it all. Right here.
We need to force them down, make them come to us.
We'll set up three new command posts.
Here, here and here.
Mercedes.
- Ask Dr. Ferreiro to come down. - Yes, sir.
This will help you sleep through the night.
Just two drops just before bed.
Two drops only.
Very good.
All of it. Good.
Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. Day or night.
You or your nurse.
Good night.
Close the door and turn off the lights, sweetie.
You have to help us. Come up and see him.
The wound is getting worse. His leg isn't any better.
This is all I could get.
I'm sorry.
Captain Vidal is waiting for you in his office.
Come here, Ofelia.
Jesus, your feet. They're frozen!
Are you afraid?
A little.
What's that noise?
Nothing, just the wind.
Nights here are different from city nights.
There, you hear cars-tramway.
Here the houses are old.
They creak.
As if they were speaking.
Tomorrow, I'm going to give you a surprise.
- A surprise? - Yes.
- A book? - No, something much better.
Why did you have to get married?
I was alone too long.
I'm with you. You weren't alone.
You were never alone.
When you're older, you'll understand. It hasn't been easy for me either.
Your brother's at it again-
Tell him one of your stories.
I'm sure that'll calm down.
My brother, my brother...
Many, many years ago,
in a sad, faraway land,
there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone.
At sunset,
on top of that mountain,
a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal.
But no one dared go near it
because its thorns were full of poison.
Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death,
and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life.
And every day, the rose wilted unable to bequeath its gift to anyone.
Forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain,
forever alone, until the end of time.
Come in.
- How is she? - Very weak.
She'll have as much rest as as she needs.
I'll sleep down here.
- And my son? - Pardon?
Excuse us, Captain.
My son, how is he?
For the moment, there's no reason to be alarmed.
Very good.
Captain, your wife should not have traveled at such a late stage of pregnancy.
- Is that your opinion? - My professional opinion, yes, sir.
A son should be born wherever his father is.
That's all.
One more thing, Captain.
What makes you so sure the baby is a male?
Don't fuck with me.
At 8 o'clock we detected movement in the northwestern sector.
Gunfire.
Sergeant Bayona searched the area and captured a suspect.
The other one's his son, here from the town.
Captain, my father is an honest man.
Let me judge that. Take your hat off in front of me.
We found this weapon on him. It's been fired.
My father was hunting rabbits, Captain.
Again, keep quiet.
"No God, no country, no Master"?
- Just like that-how do you like that? - Red prpaganda, Captain.
It's not propaganda, sir.
It's an old almanac, Captain.
We're just farmers.
Go on.
I went up into the woods, Captain. To hunt for rabbits.
For my daughters. They're sick.
Rabbits, uh?
Captain, if my father says so, he was hunting rabbits.
Leave him alone.
You killed him, You killed him!
Murderer! Son of a bitch!
Maybe you'll learn to search these assholes properly
before you come bothering me.
Yes, Captain.
Mother. Mother, wake up!
Mother, there's something in the room.
Hello.
Did you follow me here?
Are you a fairy?
Look!
This is a fairy.
You want me to go with you?
Outside? Where?
Hello?
Echo.
Hello?
It's you.
You've returned.
Don't be frightened, I beg you.
Look, look.
My name is Ofelia. Who are you?
Me?
I've had so many names...
Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce.
I am the mountain, the forest and the earth.
I am...
I am a faun.
Your most humble servant, Your Highness.
- No, I'm... - You're Princess Moanna,
daughter of the king of the underworld.
My father was a tailor.
You are not born of man.
It was the moon that bore you.
Look on your left shoulder
and you will find a mark that proves it.
Your real father had us open portals all over the world to allow your return.
This is...
This is the last of them.
But we have to make sure that your essence is intact,
that you have not become a mortal.
You must complete three tasks before the moon is full.
This is The Book of Crossroads.
Open it, when you are alone
and it will show you your future,
show you what must be done.
But there's nothing in here.
Mercedes, prepare these rabbits for dinner tonight.
They are too young.
- Well, maybe they'll do for a stew. - Yes, sir.
This coffee was burnt. Taste it yourself.
You should keep an eye on it.
As you wish, sir.
Cook these.
- He didn't like the coffee. - He's nothing but a fussy dandy.
A fussy dandy!
We're going to need some beef and one more chicken.
- Where are we supposed to find that? - The doctor's wife, the mayor's too.
Well, they eat more than a couple of pigs.
- And they don't shut up. - Not even underwater.
I'll be back in a moment, Mercedes.
Ofelia.
Your father is giving a dinner party tonight.
Look what I've made for you.
Do you like it?
What I wouldn't have given to have such a dress...
as fine as this when I was your age!
And look at the shoes!
- Do you like them? - Yes, very pretty.
Go on, now. Take your bath.
Ofelia?
Hurry up. I want to see the dress on you.
I want you to be beautiful for the Captain.
You'll look like a princess.
A princess?
Make sure those chickens are cleaned properly.
And don't forget the beans.
- You look marvelous, my girl, just beautiful. - What a gorgeous dress!
Get back to work, stop wasting time.
Do you want some milk with honey?
Move back, we can't have you getting milk on your dress, with you looking so pretty.
Mercedes. Do you believe in fairies?
No.
But when I was a little girl, I did.
I believed in a lot of things I don't believe any more.
Last night, a fairy visited me.
Really?
And it wasn't alone, there were lots of them,
- And a faun, too. - A faun?
He was very old, very tall and smelled like earth.
My mother warned me to be wary of fauns.
Mercedes!
Come with me.
Captain, everything is here.
Flour, salt, oil, medicine,
olives, bacon.
This-this is real tobacco.
And the ration cards.
- I need you to check the inventory. - Very well.
Mercedes.
- The key. - Yes, sir.
- Is this the only copy? - The only one.
From now on, I'll carry it.
Captain.
Captain, perhaps it's nothing.
It's them.
"Once upon a time, when the forest was young,
they were home to creatures who were full of magic and wonder."
"They protected one another,
and slept in the shade of a colossal fig tree
that grew on a hill, near the mill."
"But now, the tree is dying.
Its branches are dry, its trunk old and twisted.
A monstrous toad has settled in its roots
and won't let the tree thrive.
You must put the three magic stones in the toad's mouth
and retrieve the golden key from inside his belly.
Only then will the fig tree flourish again."
They were here less than twenty minutes ago.
They left in a hurry.
A dozen men, at most.
Antibiotics.
Shit, they forgot this lottery ticket.
They're here.
Those sons of bitches are here.
And they're watching us.
Hey!
You left this behind!
And your lottery ticket!
Why don't you come back and get it?
Who knows? This could be your lucky day!
Hello. I'm Princess Moanna,
and I'm not afraid of you.
Aren't you ashamed living down here,
eating all these bugs...
and growing fat while the tree dies?
Have you looked in her room? And the pantry?
Yes, ma'am.
Have you checked the garden?
- And the barn? - Yes, ma'am.
Where is that girl?
This way, please.
Let me to introduce you to my wife, Carmen.
- Charmed. - A pleasure to meet you.
From now on, one ration card per family.
Take a look.
- One? - Only one.
Captain, I'm not sure it'll be enough.
If people are careful, it should be plenty.
We can't allow anyone to send food to the guerillas in the mountains.
They're losing ground, and one of them is wounded.
Excuse me, Captain, how can you be so sure?
We almost got them. We found this.
Antibiotics.
God has already saved their souls.
What happens to their bodies hardly matter to Him.
We'll help however we can, Captain.
We know you're not here by choice.
You're wrong about that.
I choose to be here because I want my son to be born in a new, clean Spain.
Because these people hold the mistaken belief
that we're all equal.
But there's a big difference:
The war is over and we won.
And if we need to kill every one of these vermin to settle it,
then we'll kill them all, and that's that.
We're all here by choice.
By choice!
Put the coffee on. I'm going for more wood.
We'll take care of it.
Ofelia?
So, how did you and the Captain meet?
Ofelia's father used to make the Captain's uniforms.
Oh, I see...
And after he died, I went to work at the shop.
A little more than a year ago,
the Captain and I met again.
Curious, isn't it!
I mean, finding each other again?
Oh, yes, very, very curious.
Please, forgive my wife. She hasn't been exposed to the world.
She thinks these silly stories are interesting to others.
We understand.
Excuse me, madam Ofelia is here.
Excuse me.
Have I told you that I was acquainted with your father, Captain?
No. I had no idea.
In Morocco.
I knew him only briefly, but he left a great impression.
An excellent soldier.
The men in his battalion said that when General Vidal died on the battlefield,
he smashed his watch on a rock
so that his son would know the exact hour and minute of his death.
So he would know how a brave man dies.
Nonsense. He didn't own a watch.
What you've done hurts me.
After your bath, you'll go to bed without supper.
Are you listening?
Sometimes I think you'll never learn to behave.
You've disappointed me, Ofelia.
And your father, too.
You mean the Captain?
Him more than me.
I've got the key.
Take me to the Labyrinth.
Hello.
I got the key out.
That's me, and the girl is you.
And the baby?
So... you retrieved the key.
I'm glad.
She believed in you from the very beginning.
She's so glad you succeeded.
Keep the key.
You'll be needing it very soon.
And this too? A piece of chalk.
Two tasks remain
and the moon is almost full.
Be patient.
We'll soon stroll through the seven circular gardens of your palace.
How do I know that what you say is true?
Why would a poor little faun like me lie to you?
Proceed.
Have your cards ready for inspection.
Let's go. Your name?
Your names, first and last.
Narciso Pena Soriano, at your service.
This is our daily bread in Franco's Spain,
kept safe in this mill! The Reds lie...
because in a united Spain,
there's not a single home without fire or bread.
Come on, show me what happens now?
Show me.
Ofelia, help me...
Captain! Captain!
Come quickly.
...because in a united Spain,
there's not a single home without fire or bread.
This is our daily bread in Franco's Spain...
Your wife needs uninterrupted rest.
She'll have to be sedated most of the time.
The girl should sleep somewhere else.
I'll stay here until the birth.
Make her well.
I don't care what it costs or what you need.
Make her well.
Don't worry.
Your mother will get better soon, you'll see.
Having a baby is complicated.
Then I'll never have one.
You're helping the men in the woods, aren't you?
Have you told anyone?
No, I haven't.
I don't want anything bad to happen to you.
Nor I to you.
Do you know a lullaby?
Only one...
but I don't remember the words.
I don't care. I still want to hear it.
Don't be afraid. It's only me.
- Are you ready? - Yes.
Then let's go.
This is sheer madness.
When that man finds out about us, he'll kill us all.
- Have you thought about that? - Are you so afraid of him, Doctor?
It's not fear...
at least not for myself.
Pedro!
Pedro, My brother!
You didn't carry out the task.
No, my mother is sick.
That's no excuse for negligence.
Look... this is a mandrake root.
A plant that dreamt of being human.
Put it under your mother's bed
in a bowl of fresh milk.
Each morning, give it two drops of blood.
Now, we have no time to waste.
The full moon will be upon us.
Take my pets to guide you through.
You're going to a very dangerous place, so be careful.
The thing that slumbers there,
it is not human.
You will see a sumptuous feast,
but don't eat or drink anything.
Absolutely nothing.
Your life depends on it.
I've brought some Orujo, tobacco, cheese.
Mail for Trigo and Piloto.
Let's see how that leg's doing, Frenchie.
How do you think it's doing? It's fucked up.
Let's see.
...N- North American,
British and Canadian troops
disembarked on a small beach in the North of F-F.
- "France", idiot. - F-f-f-rance.
More than 150,000 soldiers give us hope...
under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Is it really bad, doctor?
Look, Frenchie.
There's no way to save it.
I'll try to make it in as few cuts as possible.
Wait a second, doctor, just a second.
"Use the chalk to trace a door anywhere in your room."
"Once the door's open, start the hourglass."
"Let the fairies guide you."
"Don't eat or drink anything, during your stay,
and come back before the last grain of sand falls."
No...
This other one.
No! No!
We'll soon have reinforcements from Jaca.
Fifty men or more. Then we'll go head to head with Vidal.
And then what?
You kill him, they'll send another just like him. And another...
You're screwed, no guns, no safe shelter...
You need food, medicine. You must take care of Mercedes.
If you really love her, you'd cross the border with her.
- This is a lost cause. - I'm staying here, doctor.
There's no choice.
You have to leave.
Here's the key, but you can't go down there now.
It's exactly what he expects.
Leave it to me.
I'm a coward.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
A coward... for living next to that son of a bitch,
doing his laundry, making his bed, feeding him.
What if the doctor's right and we can't win?
At least we'll make things harder for that bastard.
Captain Vidal...
Her temperature's down. I don't know how, but it is.
But she still has a fever?
Yes, but it's a good sign. Her body is responding.
Listen to me.
If you have to choose, save the baby.
That boy will bear my name and my father's name.
Save him.
Brother...
Little brother...
If you can hear me,
things out here aren't too good.
But soon you'll have to come out.
You've made Mama very sick.
I want to ask you one favor for when you come out,
just one:
Don't hurt her.
You'll meet her, she's very pretty,
even though sometimes she's sad for days at a time.
You'll see, when she smiles,
you'll love her.
Listen, if you do what I say,
I'll make you a promise,
I'll take you to my kingdom, and I'll make you a prince.
I promise you, a prince.
I sounded the whistle, but they wouldn't move.
I tried to stop, but it was too late.
The fireman and I jumped outjust in time,
but look at the mess they made.
What did they steal from the freight cars?
They didn't open a single one.
What the hell are you talking about?
This whole mess... They didn't open any of the cars.
- They didn't take anything. - Nothing? Are you sure?
God only knows what they wanted, other than to waste our time.
They came out of nowhere, Captain.
They have grenades, they went up hill.
Captain, we've surrounded a small unit that fell behind.
They took cover up on the hill.
Go ahead, Serrano, don't be afraid, this is the only decent way to die.
Serrano!
Let me see.
Can you talk?
Damn it!
These are useless! They can't talk.
Captain, this one's still alive.
Shot in the leg.
- What's happened? - They caught one.
They took one of them alive. And they're taking him to the storeroom.
Mercedes!
Pedro... Pedro...
Mercedes?
- I need to get into the storeroom. - Not now.
Move away!
That's plenty, dear.
Should I take this up?
Here, half the dose.
I don't think I need it.
I feel better, much better.
I don't understand. But I'm glad.
Mother...
Damn, this cigarette is good!
Real tobacco hard to find.
G-G-Go to hell.
Damn, Garces. We catch one and he turns out to be a stutterer.
We'll be here all night.
As long as he talks.
Garces is right.
You'd do better to tell us everything.
But to make sure it happens, I brought along a few tools.
Just things you pick up along the way.
At first, I won't be able to trust you,
but after I use this, you'll own up to a few things.
When we get to these,
we'll have developed... how can I put this-?
A closer bond, much like brothers.
You'll see.
And when we get to this one,
I'll believe anything you tell me.
I'll make you a deal.
If you can count to three without st-t-tuttering,
you can go.
Don't look at him, look at me.
Above me, there's no one.
- Garces! - Yes, Captain?
If I say this asshole can leave, would anybody contradict me?
No one, Captain. He can leave.
There you have it. Count to three.
- One. - Good.
Two.
One more and you will be free.
Shame.
Your mother is much better, Your Highness.
Surely, you must be relieved.
Yes, thank you.
But things haven't turned out so well.
No?
- I had an accident. - An accident?
Yes.
- You broke the rules! - It was only two grapes!
I thought no one would notice.
- We've made a mistake! - A mistake?
You failed. You can never return.
- It was an accident! - You cannot return.
The moon will be full in three days.
Your spirit shall forever remain among the humans.
You shall age like them, you shall die like them
and all memory of you shall fade in time.
And we'll vanish along with it.
You will never see us again.
Good day, doctor. Sorry to wake you so early,
but I think we need your help.
My God, what have you done to him?
Not much.
But things are getting better.
I like having you handy, Doctor. It has its advantages.
Serrano, stay here.
I talked.
Not much.
- B-b-but I talked. - I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Kill me. Kill me now, please.
Son of a bitch.
It'll take away the pain.
It's almost over.
Watch Dr. Ferreiro,
- I'll be right there. - Yes, Captain.
You're not moving anymore.
Are you sick?
What are you doing down there?
- Call him! - Who?
Who else, you imbecile? Ferreiro!
What the hell is this?
No! No, no!
Leave her. Leave her alone, please!
Look at this! Look what she was hiding under your bed!
What do you think of this?
Ofelia, what is this thing doing under the bed?
It's a magic root the faun gave me.
This is all because of thatjunk you let her read.
Look what you've done!
Please, leave us alone. I'll talk to her, darling.
Fine. As you wish.
He told me you would get better. And you did.
Ofelia, you have to listen to your father.
You have to stop all this.
No. I want to leave this place!
Please, take me away from here! Let's just go, Please!
Things are not that simple.
You're getting older,
soon you'll see that life isn't like your fairy tales.
The world is a cruel place.
And you'll learn that, even if it hurts.
- No! No! - Ofelia!
Magic does not exist. Not for you, me or anyone else.
Mom! Help!
Help!
Why did you do it?
It was the only thing I could do.
No. You could have obeyed me.
I could have, but I didn't.
It would have been better for you. You know it.
I don't understand. Why didn't you obey me?
To obey-just like that-for the sake of obeying, without questioning...
that's something only people like you can do, Captain.
Captain!
Garces! Call the troop paramedic.
- Get up immediately! - Yes, Captain.
Your wife is dead.
Because the paths to the Lord are inscrutable.
Because the essence of His forgiveness
lies in His word and in His mystery.
Because although God sends us the message,
it is our task to decipher it.
Because when we open our arms
the earth takes in only a hollow and senseless shell.
Far away now is the soul in its eternal glory.
Because it is in pain that we find the meaning of life.
And the state of grace that we lose when we are born.
Because God, in His infinite wisdom, puts the solution in our hands.
And because it is only in His physical absence,
that the place He occupies in our souls is reaffirmed.
You knew Dr. Ferreiro pretty well, didn't you, Mercedes?
We all knew him, sir. Everyone around here.
The stutterer spoke of an informer. Here... at the mill.
Can you imagine? Right under my nose.
Mercedes, please.
What must you think of me?
You must think that I'm a monster.
It doesn't matter what someone like me thinks, sir.
I want you to the storehouse and bring me some more liquor, please.
Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir.
Mercedes, aren't you forgetting something?
Sir?
The key.
I do have the only copy, don't I?
Yes, sir.
You know, there's an odd detail that's been bothering me.
Maybe it's not important, but...
the day they broke into the storehouse,
with all those grenades and explosives,
the lock itself wasn't forced.
As I said, it's probably not important.
Be very careful.
Good night, sir.
Ofelia, Ofelia!
Ofelia, I'm leaving tonight.
- Where to? - I can't tell you. I can't tell you...
- Take me with you. - No, no. I can't.
I can't, my child. But I'll come back for you, I promise.
Take me with you.
I heard something.
It's nothing, don't worry.
Mercedes.
Ofelia.
How long have you known about her?
How long have you been laughing at me?
Little bitch!
Watch her!
And if anyone tries to get in,
kill her first.
Dry meat.
Tobacco.
If you had asked for it, I would have given this to you, Mercedes.
I want the names of whoever wrote these letters.
And I want them in front of me, tomorrow.
Yes, Captain.
You can go, Garces.
You're sure, Captain?
For God's sake, she's just a woman.
That's what you've always thought.
That's why I was able to get away with it.
- I was invisible to you. - Damn.
You've found my weakness: Pride.
But it's your weak points we're interested in.
It's very simple: You will talk...
And I have to know
that everything you say is the truth.
We have a few things here strictly for that purpose.
Nothing complicated.
Things we learn on the job.
At first...
I'm not some old man! Not a wounded prisoner!
Mother Fucker! Don't you dare touch the girl?
Won't be the first pig I gutted.
Look! He let her go.
The fuck did you say?
Get her! Come on! Bring her to me!
Bring her to me, damn it!
Mount up!
Lt'll be better if you come with me without struggling.
The Captain said that if you behave...
Don't be a fool, sweetheart.
If anyone's going to kill you...
I'd rather it be me.
I've decided to give you one last chance.
Do you promise to do what I say?
Will you do everything I tell you, without question?
This is your last chance.
Then listen to me.
Fetch your brother
and bring him to the labyrinth,
as quickly as you can, Your Highness.
My brother?
We need him.
- But... - No more questions.
The door's locked.
In that case, create your own door.
Captain, with your permission.
Come quickly.
- Now what? - Serrano is back. He's wounded.
Wounded?
Where's Garces?
How many were there?
I don't know exactly, Captain.
Fifty men, at least.
The rest of the men didn't make it. Our watch posts are not responding.
- How many men we have left? - Twenty, maybe less, sir.
We're leaving. Together.
Don't be afraid.
Nothing is going to happen to you.
Put them on picket duty at the tree line.
If the rest of the squad gets back, have it report immediately to me.
Radio for reinforcements, now.
Yes, Captain.
Leave him!
Ofelia!
Quickly, Your Majesty,
give him to me.
The full moon is high in the sky,
we can open the portal.
Why is that in your hand?
The portal will only open if we offer the blood of an innocent.
Just a drop of blood. A pinprick, that's all.
It's the final task.
Hurry.
You promised to obey me!
- Give me the boy! - No!
My brother stays with me.
You would give up your sacred rights for this brat you barely know?
Yes, I would.
You would give up your throne for him?
He who has caused you such misery, such humiliation?
Yes, I would.
As you wish, Your Highness.
No!
My son.
Tell my son...
Tell him what time his father died.
- Tell him that I... - No.
He won't even know your name.
Arise, my daughter.
Come.
Father.
You have spilled your own blood rather than that of an innocent.
That was the final task, and the most important.
And you chose well, Your Highness.
Come here with me,
and sit by your father's side.
He's been waiting for you so long.
And it is said the princess returned to her father's kingdom.
That she reigned there with justice and a kind heart for many centuries.
That she was loved by her people.
And that she left behind small traces of her time on earth,
visible only to those who know where to look.