At the recommendation of a friend who I trust implicitly, I rushed off to see Pan's Labyrinth the first night it opened in DC.

It's the most deeply uncomfortable, heart-wrenching, beautiful, and amazing movie I've ever seen.

I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone with this caveat. While movies are a form of entertainment, I wouldn't say I was entertained so much as I was changed.

And also, make sure you don't have anything to do following the movie, so that you can sit somewhere and be a little ball of emotions. I had to cancel plans because I was so completely eviscerated afterward.