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There is something to be said for Pan's Labyrinth
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Although LAist has previously reported that Pan’s Labyrinth is dull -- more than once mind you – this reviewer found it necessary to take one more look. I agree with what the other reviews put forward however I would also say that PL, although not originally clever, is a well-told story.
The film is set in 1944 Spain, during the time of Francisco Franco. A young girl, Ofelia, is sent with her mother to live in the countryside after the civil war amongst a small group of fascist soldiers who are seeking out and destroying the last throws of the rebel uprising.
Spoilers and more after the jump...
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The way I understood the film (to the best of my Spanish comprehension), is that Ofelia begins to imagine a fantasy world that collides with her real world. As her living situation becomes more difficult and uneasy, the world of fantasy incorporates stronger into her reality. It seems as though this fictional world is a coping mechanism for dealing with the fact that she is living in a war situation. Not only did she lose her father to the civil war, but she also is losing connection with her mother who has settled for carrying the child of a sadistic fascist commander.
I called my good friend (who recommended the film to me) to see if she shared the same ideas about the theme -- and she strongly objected. She opted to believe that Ofelia's world of fantasy is in fact real, and that although the others cannot see this world, it is because (as the faun tells Ofelia) it is not to be shown to them. She is also a Spanish scholar, which may mean she understood some things I did not.
I very much agree with our first review, that the fantasy world in this story is poorly developed, and the ending seems like the dousing of fizzling embers. The lack of integration of the two worlds however may serve as a clue about how much of Ofelia's world is actual real; the fact that her fantasy world fails to have a major impact on the real world.
Although there are clues that suggest this imaginary world is real -- chiefly the fact that her mother is somehow magically cured by a root that the faun gives Ofelia -- I still romance the notion that her world is not authentic. It serves as an allegory to Anne Frank, in the sense that human beings were never built to deal with the atmosphere of constant war and death, and that is most pronounced in children who must ultimately find some way to cope with this harsh reality.
And as it was put in our second review, PL is not an "Alice in Wonderland for adults". To reiterate: although the film is too violent for children, it lacks the complexity in its story necessary to make an adult think. Whether we recommend this film or not, it shouldn't stop Del Toro fan's from eventually checking it out. You can still check out Pan's Labyrinth in theaters for a limited time.
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