Summary
The movie is set in fascist spain in 1944 and its about this
girl (Ofelia) who is full of wonder and curiosity, and her pregnant mother who brings
her child along to meet her new father who is a cold and dangerous captain. One
night, Ofelia meets a fairy and takes her down into an old labyrinth where she
meets a mystical creature. Unbeknownst to her, she is actually a princess of a
great and unknown kingdom. The problem is that she must prove herself to actually
be this prophesized princess by accomplishing three tasks. Accomplishment would
mean immortality, failure on the other hand, meant she would never be reunited
with the king again.
Symbolisms, themes and meaning
At its core, the movie is a
coming-of-age story of Ofelia and how she must grow and face the problems she
is confronted with in the movie. It shows a young girl’s struggles in accepting
the many changes in her own body as well as her life which can be seen through
subtle and not-so subtle symbols in the film. I believe that the forest means
something in the film as she uses it as an escape mechanism to stray from the
problems she’s having in her real life with her mother and step father. Yet it
is paradoxical because though the forest provides her with refuge, it can also
be used to lead her astray from her path of self-fulfillment as she might get
lost. Case in point, in the first trial where she must find the frog that lives
within the tree, one may conclude that it is a symbol for escapism as the shape
of the crevice of the tree resembles a woman’s reproductive organ and the act
of re-entering could mean that the person rejects the world she is plunged into
and would rather live in the comfort of her mother’s womb or in the case of
Ofelia, her youth. Though she tries to retreat and live in comfort, the world
finds a way to tell her that she must confront her own struggles to grow as a
person, which can be seen manifested as the toad she must kill in order to
advance her goals. Another common trope that is seen in these types of stories
is the ability to make decisions and in turn, learn from it and become a better
person. Ofelia makes a lot of choices in the movie, though not all are right,
it is irrelevant so long as she learns from the mistakes that are rooted from
bad decisions. Ofelia was warned not to eat from the table of the Pale man but
she actively decides to ignore the warning and eat from it anyway, resulting in
the death of two fairies. She also made a wise decision at the end of the
movie, actively choosing to spill her own blood instead of her brother’s and
thus granting her access in the afterlife, reconnecting with her family. This enforces
the weight of decisions that young teens and adults have to make in order to
grow.
Another point I would like to bring
up is that I believe that this film’s protagonist Ofelia, is trying to find out
who she really is. Is she just a daughter of a pregnant mother and an abusive
father or is she really a princess? This question lingers as she tries to
uncover pieces of herself by diving back in the womb. Psychoanalyst Sigmund
Freud thought that because we find it so hard to understand the complexity of
the “self”, we tend to look back to our very origins trying to figure out who
we really are. This could explain the imagery of vaginas and the use of words
to connote a child’s innocence or “essence” as the faun describes it.
In conclusion I believe that themes
and symbols used in the movie portray the experiences that the young must go
through to grow as a person and how one must continue to advance in spite of
adversities and uncertainty. It also asks questions about the self and how we
actively seek out its meaning and nature to better understand ourselves and to
act accordingly.
Relevance
I believe this film is still very
relevant now because of its very mature themes and story. The themes of knowing
oneself and growth is essential in inspiring the youth as the majority of them,
myself included, feel lost in our society today. We live in a world where
everything has to happen now, where so much is being expected of all of us and
we end up losing track of who we are and why we do the things that we do. I believe
this is relevant because it sends a message telling us not to give up, to learn
from our mistakes, to make decisions even the wrong ones, and to not be afraid
of the world.
Rating/Final thoughts
I don’t really want to give this a
numbered rating just because I don’t think it would give this film its due
praise and also because I don’t really believe in numbered ratings. But what I can
say is that I do recommend the viewing of this film. It is thought-provoking,
different and a fresh of breath air in the time where meaningless Hollywood flicks
litter the media and it is certainly worth every minute you spend trying to
interpret its meaning.
