After reading a couple criticisms about Pan’s Labyrinth, I did not want to wait another minute before watching the film. It sounded like a movie that was made specifically for people like me. It had the kind of creepy, creative element of monsters and mythical creatures. It contained commentary about government and justice. It also blurred the line between reality and imaginary and the significance of each. I also am a big fan of literature and films from different countries, so I knew this movie was going to be good from the get go.
However, upon watching this movie, the way it portrayed these themes was a bit cliché. The evil step parent – in this case a step father – was harsh and unforgiving. He was also the leader of the fascist regime, symbolizing that the fascist regime in this movie was just as harsh and unforgiving. While this message is still important and crucial to the film, I find it a bit simplistic.
What was most interesting to me was the way the Mexican director, Guillermo del Torro, blurred the line between real and imaginary. Throughout the film. the watcher is wondering “Is all this fantasy stuff real or is it just the little girl’s imagination?” There are many moments that make us question. For example, when the bug turned into a fairy, when she opens the book the faun gave her and the pages are blank at first, and lastly when she’s running away from her step father and he doesn’t see the faun like the little girl does. On the flip side, all of the little girls interactions with the faun and other mythical creatures seem very realistic. The lack of clarity on this issue is key to the film’s meaning.
Another thing I liked about the film was how realistic it was. It didn’t necessarily have a happy ending and everything played out as it most likely would have in real life. In American movies, this isn’t always the case. For example, the little girl wasn’t able to defeat her much larger and armed step father. *Spoiler Alert* She died, which was most likely going to happen as after her mother died, the step father sees no more responsibility for her. The mother also died in childbirth which was likely due to the fact of such an uncomfortable and problematic pregnancy. I actually really liked the ending of the film and how everything played out because it really shows the audience how tragic reality can be sometimes.
Lastly, the meaning of the film had a big impact on me as well. Thought it displayed multiple different themes, I thought the film as a whole was about innocence and goodness. The audience finds this out at the very end when the faun asks the little girl for her baby brother as a sacrifice, but she refuses, sacrificing herself instead. I mean this little baby was the reason her mother is dead, and she still vows to protect him because she knows it’s the right thing to do. In the end, it earns her entrance into the kingdom the faun has been telling her about. Symbolizing that this innocence and goodness is the way to riches in the world.
