Two Hundred Years of Solitude

In class we discussed in depth, to what degree this film was real, but there is really no right answer. Guillermo Del Toro ends the film with two endings, which allows the viewer to choose the ending he or she prefers. Providing alternate endings further allows the fantastic element to be prominent in the film by adding a feeling of uncertainty.  But, throughout the film Del Toro utilizes color to distinguish reality from fantasy. What I mean by this is that the hues of the scenes are different. For example, scenes with the captain or Ofelia’s mother have a bluer tinge. On the other hand scenes where Ofelia is faced with fantastic elements, for example retrieving the dagger and escaping from the pale man, are in a red-ish tinge. Even though there is a clear distinction between reality and fantasy in terms of the color scheme of the film, some scenes that have the blue tinge still contain fantastic characters. In the end it is up to the viewer to choose whether to believe in fairy tales.

Pan’s Labyrinth  combined two worlds to represent the same ideals- Ideals such as kindness, hope, and general decency in people. Ophelia’s fairy tale world embodied and valued all of the things that she lacked in the world she lived. Ophelia and Mercedes both had hope, and were willing to fight for how they believed the world should be. Ophelia insisted that the fantastic world she believed in was real, and was even willing to die to stand up for its values. Mercedes was willing to rebel against the fascist cause to assist her brother and the rebels. Ophelia’s mother  showed the lack of hope people had who  completely stopped believing in idealistic things, and succumbed to believing the world would stay full of evil. Mercedes had rejected her belief in fairy tales, but still held on to a belief that there was kindness and decency in the cause she supported. Ophelia died happy believing in her fairy tale; suggesting that people should not abandon hope for good things they believe in, even if the world often doesn’t represent them.

 

I honestly had to look up how to spell Pan’s Labyrinth before I started this post.

The film was interesting, but besides entertainment purposes I tried to understand how the film connected to my CI course which focuses on stories. Specifically, how stories function in our daily lives and if fictional stories are more or less important than true stories. I believe this film supports the idea that fictional stories are just as valuable in explaining our reality as true stories are. This is demonstrated through Ophelia’s interactions with the faun and the many tasks he gives her to complete. Throughout the film Ophelia is tested by the faun, and in the end it is through the tasks that she is able to understand selflessness and decency. By understanding these qualities, she is able to understand the Fascist  environment that she lives in and is able to not only understand its flaws, but to also break free from it through self-sacrifice. Although a fantastical example, Pan’s Labyrinth demonstrates the role of fairy tales and folk stories in our understanding of our world.

Pan’s Labrynth (El Laberinto del Fauno), directed by Guillermo del Toro plays with the theme of fantasy vs. reality. The boundary between these two themes seem almost non existent as portrayed through Ofelia, the eleven year old girl who still believes in fairytales regardless of her age and circumstance(s). Ofelia copes with the evil around her through the fantasy she creates for herself. That fantasy becomes a part of her reality and we see that through her actions and interactions with the other characters. The movie holds a sense of ambiguity that gives it’s viewers the chance to decide if what they’re looking at through Ofelia’s p.o.v is real or pure fantasy. A few scenes from the movie serves as contradictions that go against what we think we know to be real, for example, the mandrake root which represented Ofelia’s unborn brother. That contradiction, along with a few others, is what makes the film so engaging and worthwhile even if you, like Mercedes, don’t believe in fantasies anymore.

In the movie Pans Labyrinth Guillermo del Toro displays an interesting interaction between fantasy and the real world. Guillermo del Toro insightfully leaves his audience wondering if the fantasy world is real or not. I believe the protagonist, Ofelia, uses a fantasy world or perspective to cope with the harsh things happening in her life. She knows she’s in a dangerous place and she fears for herself and the people around her. She is still a young girl with a bright imagination. She chose to live and believe in the fantasy world because she is still an innocent little girl. Ofelia hasn’t been through the things her mother or Mercedes have been through therefore she is able to live in her fantasy world and use her imagination. It’s fascinating to see how Guillermo uses Ofelia’s fantasy world to conflict and cause problems for Ofelia in the real world.

Director Guillermo del Toro presents several issues not only politically wrong with society, but simply faults in humanity. Ofelia let’s her curiosity get the best of her and follows her fairytale path that opens many troubling challenges that affect her life in forms she never thought possible. She longs to be safe and happy this is something she does not have at the side of the Captain and her mother. The contrast between the older women and Ofelia’s young soul is something interesting because it allows the viewer to see both ends of the spectrum. Carmen and Mercedes have suffered plenty in their lifetime and have lost hope in the kindness in the world. They see everything for what it is. Ofelia on the other hand is curious and believes in the fantastic. The Faun opens Ofelia’s eyes to the magic in the Labyrinth and how she can obtain what she’s always wanted.

The end is quite ambiguous because although her physical body has died her spirit/soul has accomplished what she’s been longing for all her life. She has been reunited with her family in a much less cruel world where she will finally be happy and safe. The director leaves it open to interpretation perhaps because this is a situation where there isn’t any true closure.

Pan’s Labyrinth is set in 1944 Spain five years after The Spanish Civil War and follows eleven year old fairy tale loving Ofelia (played by Ivana Baquero). Ofelia is traveling with her very, very, very pregnant mother to meet her stepfather, a brutal captain in Francisco Franco’s army (played by Sergi López). There’s where it begins, a young girl brought into a very adult scenario. Throughout the film multiple times her innocence is tried, learning that Mercedes (played by Maribel Verdú) is stealing supplies for the rebel guerrilla faction and not turning her in, or meeting and trusting the frankly terrifying Faun. Abandoning her possibility for happiness to keep her brother alive.  Its this innocence that ultimately leads to her success. Because she trusted The Faun her brother is alive. Because she sacrificed herself rather than her brother she goes to a kingdom devoid of lies or pain, ultimately rewarding her for never breaking. 

Pan’s Labyrinth is a very mysterious and confusing mix of fairy tales and harsh reality. It shows a brutal and unforgiving world, the one that Ofelia lives in. It is a fascist society and one that becomes more unbearable when Ofelia is forced to move to the country into an unfamiliar home with a hateful new father. This home is like her prison.

In the movie, the labyrinth and fairies and other mystical entities, are a way for her to escape from the harsh reality of life. It is a glimmer of hope for a better life that she holds onto so that she can move forward and never give up. These magical elements are never said to be real or fake. When Ofelia is meeting one last time with the Faun in the film, her stepfather only sees her talking to empty space, but it is very possible that these creatures are real to her, and that her belief makes them real.