Pan's Labyrinth: Dark, cynical and artistic

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.