Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

I didn't expect to enjoy this Guillermo del Toro film, but I did. In my interpretation, the film tells a story about how a young girl finds escape from the brutal realities of her world, circa 1944 in Spain during the dictatorship of Franco.

It's dark. And blends fantasy and politics very much like his other films Devil's Backbone and Shape of Water. The girl's stepfather is a military officer who often tortures or kills any spy or anti-fascist warrior that comes near him or his home.

Meanwhile, the girl discovers fairies and other mythical creatures, which may or may not be real (is it all just in her head?) But my interpretation is that they are real and interact only with her, and the new world she enters is also a real one, only open to her. I thought it was an imaginative world, at least what we see of it.

Interesting to note: The book version is this month's #1 best-selling book in Germany (source: Publishing Trends): https://www.publishingtrends.com/2019/08/international-bestsellers-july-2019/

Return to Oz (1985)

This is one of those films that I like but almost everyone hates it, or dislikes it. I always found it really quirky and liked seeing new characters in Oz. I saw it first on a black-and-white TV in the late 80s, and it really captivated me. I still enjoy it. Starring Fairuza Balk, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark, Nicol Williamson, and Jean Marsh.