Analysis Of The Film Pan's Labyrinth

In 2006, a film entitled, Pan’s Labyrinth directed by Guillermo Del Toro, was released. The film garnered numerous awards and has been the subject of diverse studies due to its historically significant messages. A careful review of such studies and careful analysis of the plot of Pan’s Labyrinth that it is more than just a normal fantasy film, it carries with it the message of disapproval to war, war’s adverse effects to children, and undermining the role of women in the society.

In order to better know the said thesis, it is necessary to first gain an overview of the story. Accordingly, Pan’s Labyrinth tells the story of a young girl, named Ofelia, growing up in the outcome of the Spanish Civil War, but finds a magical escape. In the beginning of the movie, it tells us about how Princess Moana, of the underground kingdom, had died before her time and would later come back in another body. The setting in Pan’s Labyrinth is very dark and not very happy, but we hear Ofelia talking to her unborn baby brother happy stories about flowers blooming.

While Ofelia and her pregnant mother travel to her new stepfather,

This selection of the mandrake root is therefore another way of Guillermo Del Toro’s emphasis on the dangers of escapism not only to children but also to the adults in the real world (Miller 2). It should be noted that in the film, all the adult characters could not see the faun and other mythical creatures that Ofelia sees and interacts with. It is as if those creatures are only existent in a world that Ofelia created. Ofelia was basically escaping, instead of fighting head-on the problems in the real world. “By stepping into her imaginary world, Ofelia is escaping lies, death, and pain”