Pan's Labyrinth : A Movie Analysis

PLOT SUMMARY

Pan’s Labyrinth is about Princess Moanna, the princess of the Underworld Realm who had her memories erased. She became a mortal and has no memory of her past and her royal blood. The movie is set int eh Spanish Civil War era as Ofelia, the young girl, travels with her pregnant mother to Captain Vidal, the father of the unborn child.

A large insect was seen by Ofelia, which she believed to be a fairy. This insect leads her to an old labyrinth where Mercedes, the estate housekeeper, stopped her. Mercedes was introduced as a very kind and gentle woman who secretly helps rebels who are enemies of the Captain and his men. When Ofelia was led to the labyrinth, she met a faun who believes that she was the reincarnation of Princess Moanna. The faun gives her three tasks that she needed to complete fir her to earn her immortality.

The first task was to get a key from the belly of a toad; Ofelia completes this with absolute bravery. Meanwhile, the condition of her pregnant mother who was also very sick worsens. This worries Ofelia, especially because her mother was carrying her baby brother. Because of Ofelia’s concerns, the faun gave her mother a mandrake root that helped ease Carmen’s illness. The second task, which is to retrieve a dagger from the lair of the Pale Man, became very challenging for Ofelia because she was given specific instructions not to consume any food which she disobeyed. Because of this, the Pale Man was awaken, chasing Ofelia which almost endangered her life. When Ofelia got back, the faun got mad at what happened and refused to give her the third task.

            Meanwhile, Captain Vidal tortured a rebel who is discovered to be Mercedes’ brother. Captain Vidal also killed Doctor Ferreiro because he was discovered to be also a “rebel collaborator”. Captain Vidal catches Ofelia taking care of a mandrake root which Carmen throws into a fire. Because of this, Carmen experienced strong and painful contractions which resulted to her death. Her unborn child was saved, luckily. After this, Captain Vidal discovers that Mercedes, the housekeeper, was a spy. Vidal tortures Mercedes but managed to get Vidal stabbed. The housekeeper ran towards the woods with the rebels who were with her. Ofelia, on the other hand, was given instructions to steal her baby brother which Vidal sees, chasing her with his gun drawn. When Ofelia got to the labyrinth, she met with the Faun who wanted to take his blood and spill it to the pool but Ofelia refused to do so. The drawing of the blood was because it needed the blood of an innocent to open the portal. Since Ofelia refused to draw blood from her baby brother, the Faun once again refused to help her.

           After this, Captain Vidal finds Ofelia, taking the baby from her then shot her. When Captain Vidal exited the labyrinth, he became surrounded by the rebels who he knows will kill him. He then hands the baby to Mercedes, then Pedro kills Vidal. Inside the labyrinth, they find Ofelia slowly dying. Her blood drips to the pool, opening her passage to the underworld. The king of the underworld appears, saying that Ofelia passed the final test which was to decide to spill her own blood rather than her baby brother’s. Ofelia is now addressed as royalty. The king and queen of the underworld, Ofelia who is now Moanna, are finally together.

SYMBOLISM AND RELEVANCE TO CURRENT EVENTS

                Based on observations, I was only able to identify only a few symbolisms. I was able to observe the differing worlds of Captain Vidal and Ofelia. Captain Vidal lived in a fascist world in his fascist ways, with so much cruelty around him. On the other hand, Ofelia was confined in her world of labyrinths and fairies. It was a very strong symbolism; I believe it symbolizes the harsh reality of the world. Ofelia was hardly seen in a scene together with Captain Vidal. I think it is also because of the innocence of a child. A child does not see any sign of a bitter and grim world. A child only sees fairies and magic and a fairytale world.  

                One of the very few concepts I have observed that can be related to current events is the fascism that was prevalent in the era where the movie was set in. Despite it being the modern world, fascism still remains in some countries. It has always been prevalent, and this movie has shown its relevance to current events through Captain Vidal.  The regime Vidal led in the movie was greatly empowered by fear, keeping the citizens very conforming to his ways. It was difficult to incorporate the movie with current events especially since the movie was set in the Spanish Civil War era, making it very different to what the society is experiencing today. Other than authority cruelty, which can also be seen in the Philippines, I was not able to identify any other concepts that could be related to current events.

PERSONAL REFLECTION & REVIEW

                If you watch Pan’s Labyrinth and you merely watch it for entertainment, you won’t be able to immediately pick up all the hidden symbolism, morals, and all the meaning behind every character. When I first watched the movie, I simply thought it was very creatively done and a very peculiar movie. It was something out of the ordinary; a very bizarre movie with an extraordinary plot. When I made this movie analysis, I watched it a second time and I observed and took down notes to determine all the possible symbolism and metaphors in the movie. It was an excellent movie, hidden beneath are metaphors and symbolism that would relate to our society, even if it talked about fairies and labyrinths and fauns. The director, Guillermo del Toro, was able to successfully showcase his creativity. Given the fact that the movie was shown in 2006, I was very amazed with the video effects and the way the fairies, the faun, and the other mystical beings and places were shown to be realistic. It was an absolute work of art, despite it being a little difficult to understand at first. It needed to be watched a few more times, for one to absolutely see what lies beneath the movie. Pan's Labyrinth is something different; it is needed to be seen by a lot more people. It is a very creative and significant movie; one that matters greatly to our society because it speaks more than on deeper levels. 

           It is a must-watch movie; not just because of its effects and the fairytale-like concept, but because of what it talks about. It talks about bravery and the realities of life. Age doesn't matter when it comes to sacrificing a lot of things for a more important cause. Ofelia is an exceptional child; she is one that embodies a true person who is truly brave. Pan's Labyrinth is not only a movie that talks about what we see on the surface; it tells us what we do not expect to discover. It tells us that life is far from perfect and that our realities will haunt us always.