PAN’S LABYRINTH: A FILM THAT IS, INDEED, ONE, GREAT AND FREE

This review will be a spoiler-free review. 

PLOT SUMMARY

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Spanish-language film directed by Guillermo del Toro, released in 2006, and stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez and Doug Jones. The film primarily follows Ofelia, a young girl in early 1940s Spain who believes that she is the reincarnation of a long-dead mythical princess and seeks to find out the truth in a mythical world inside a labyrinth, while at the same time, aid her ill mother in the brink of giving birth. The film also focuses on her stepfather, the Nationalist Captain Vidal, who hunts down the Spanish Maquis, small bands of dissident Republicans that continue to fight the Francoist government long after the Spanish Civil War ended.

INTERPRETATIONS, SYMBOLISM, and RELEVANCE of the STORY to the EVENTS

The film has many overarching narratives and themes, especially in regards to the symbolic similarities between the mythical world and the real world. One example is the parallelism between Ofelia and Captain Vidal. Both characters are very driven, and seek out goals that for them is important. The major difference between them, however, is that Ofelia seeks out to discover herself (as well as what lies beneath the surface), and break way from an ever-controlling society, while Vidal seeks to enforce and consolidate that control. And from a historical perspective, it's not hard to see why. After the Civil War ended in 1939, the winning far-right Nationalist faction, under the leadership of Francisco Franco, violently suppressed any form of resistance, while the Maquis refuse and continue to do so, which is where Mercedes and the doctor come into play. 

One could argue that Ofelia's fantasy world is her way of escaping the real world. The world of ever-controlling authoritarianism, of no freedom, and of tragedy that came after the war. And after all, the fable in the beginning told that the king has always waited for his precious daughter to return, and since Ofelia lost her father in the war, she interprets it as her (Ofelia's) father waiting for her; a mutual reunion, in a sense. At the same time, Ofelia is also coming of age, and is slowly discovering who she truly is, and her place in both worlds.

Vidal, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Ofelia's goals. He wants to control. And he's not just a follower of fascism (or Falangism, in the Spanish context) in this film. He IS fascism personified, as well as the evils that create it. Vidal's actor, Sergi Lopez described him as "the most evil character I've ever played in my career. ... a psychopath who is impossible to defend." Not only that, but he also reflects the  ideologies and policies that the sublevados (the Spanish term for "Nationalists") upheld, such as rampant sexism, systematic murder of suspected dissidents and political opponents, and oppression in general (Franco). 

At its very core, Pan's Labyrinth is a film about coming of age and self-discovery, but most importantly, it is about freedom, liberation, and resistance against tyranny.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

(I've always been an admirer of Guillermo del Toro's work, from the giant robot battles of Pacific Rim, and the badassery of Hellboy, and so, I would like to apologize for any major biases. :)  )

This film is just.... magnificent. The visuals, the production design, the performances, the story, I just.... admire it all. This is arguably del Toro's greatest work yet (until I watch The Shape of Water, that is. It might change). Still, as is del Toro's style, it's worth noting that there are a lot of gruesome and eerie scenes that might catch a lot of people off-guard. But other than that, not much else.

And as for the things that I can reflect in this film, it's that child-like innocence won't last forever, but treasure it as much as you can.

It's a masterpiece, and will stand the test of time.

5/5