Pan's Labyrinth Essay

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), directed by Guillermo del Toro, is a gorgeously realised tale of fantasy and horror, set against the backdrop of post-Civil War Spain. The story follows a young girl, Ofelia, who travels to the countryside with her ill mother to live with her new stepfather, Vidal, a captain in Franco’s Fascist army. The film explores how Ofelia uses her imagination as a copying mechanism to deal with the monstrosities of her reality as well as to interpret the horrific events unfolding around her. Del Toro employs a number of cinematic devices including cinematography, sound and editing to effectively draw parallels between Ofelia’s reality and imagination, ultimately creating a powerful film that condemns the nature of Fascism.

The scene I have chosen to analyse, effectively demonstrates how Ofelia’s reality of bloody violence and fascist control is ever present in the layers of her imagination. The ‘Toad Scene’ is one of the first times the audience is exposed to the ghastly imagery of the fantasy world created by Del Toro, taking place

This emphasises the enormity of the task Ofelia is about to embark upon and also her vulnerability as the tree’s dominating presence fills the frame.

The fig tree itself is symbolic in its representation. Firstly, the entrance of the tree resembles that of a female’s ovaries, with its curved branches replicating the fallopian tubes. Moreover, the tree’s sickened state mirrors Ofelia’s pregnant mother’s own fragile condition. The presentation of the tree as fertile and the links to Ofelia’s mother presents it as the womb of Spain withered by the effects of Franco’s fascist dictatorship. This interpretation is consistent with Ofelia’s understanding of reality, and Del Toro’s use of symbolism subtly invites the audience to draw a comparison between the two