Review: Pan's Labyrinth

As with most fairy tales, Pan's Labyrinth has a princess, an evil doer, a fairy godmother (or two) and some fairies. It deals with myth, magic and lore. What is the most compelling aspect of del Toro's film is the fact that the underworld, which most people see as a negative and scary place full of evil and dark magic, has become the place that Ofelia wishes to return to.

The film takes place in war torn Spain, with violence to her people much like what you would expect to see in a film such as The Pianist or Schindler's List. The Captain is a malicious, heartless man with only two goals: the first to see his Spain rid of the vermin which seek to destroy his pure country and the second, to have his son born into this new pure Spain, carrying on his lineage of perfection, at all costs.

Ofelia and her mother, who has newly married the Captain and is pregnant with his child, have just moved to the mill in a beautiful secluded forest, where the entire film takes place. Neither are happy with the move, or the Captain, but as Ofelia deals with unhappiness by delving deeper into her fairy tales, her mother pushes them farther away, stating that they do not exist and that nothing is happy for anyone. Ofelia believes that her true path lies within the fairytale that faun has presented to her and she must complete the three tasks in order to live happily and take her thrown as the princess of the underworld with her father.

Now, for a small girl, perhaps eight or nine, to be so trusting in a magical and somewhat frightening creature, the faun, is an unbelievable act of courage. What I found most interesting is that the world that Ofelia finds herself thrust into is so evil and full of pain that she would choose to do whatever she could, including risk her own life, to become part of this tale, part of the underworld that she has been convinced is her rightful destiny. How desperate of a place that this poor child must have been in that she seeks shelter in the bowels of the earth, rather than the comfort of her mother or her new home. How alone she must have felt. In a way, all of the characters were living in their own hell, seeking some kind of escape from the horrors of their lives. From the Doctor, to Mercedes, Carmen and even the Captain, they were all trapped and in need of saving.

All of the key characters also had a set of tasks to complete as well. They needed to succeed at these tasks in order for their fantasy, or life, to be worth living. The Doctor was the man who saw to taking care of the sick and wounded, always with a kind and merciful hand. He knew that it was a key part of the success of the mission and risked himself on a daily basis to help the resistance succeed. Mercedes did the same, tending to the communication and food aspects of the resistance, as well as finding the inner strength to meld into the background and gain access to the home and inner workings of the Captain and his mill. Carmen knew that in order for her to survive in a war torn nation as a young widow with a female child, she would need to sacrifice herself and her body, no matter the unhappiness that came with it. The Captain knew that if he conquered the resistance, or died trying, and his son knew his legacy that he would carry on the lineage of his bloodline.

Not everyone succeeded in their quest, as all fairy tales show. Depending on how you look at it, you may see the death of Ofelia as a dream and that there was no happily ever after for her, that she was simply shot and left to die by a calculated killer. Or, you can see her dream as she lay dying as the truth, at least as she wishes it to be, as the last step of her task and that she succeeded, securing her place in the thrown at her father's side forever. A child's imagination is limited only by the confines of the spaces around her. In Ofelia's case, she let nothing stand in her way on her quest for true happiness.