Guillermo del Toro: Pan's Labyrinth

Director - Guillermo del Toro
Writer - Guillermo del Toro

Plot:

In the falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. - IMDB.com

Cast:

Ivana Baquero - Ofelia
Sergi Lopez - Vidal
Maribel Verdu - Mercedes
Doug Jones - Fauno/Pale Man
Ariadna Gil - Carmen
Alex Angulo - Doctor Ferreiro
Manolo Solo - Garces
Cesar Vea - Serrano
Roger Casamajor - Pedro
Ivan Massague - El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte - Frances
Eusebio Lazaro - Padre
Francisco Vidal - Sacerdote
Juanjo Cucalon - Alcalde
Lina Mira - Esposa del alcalde

Plot/Analysis:

The film begins with Ofelia and her mom, Carmen driving to the country and it is established Ofelia is a bookworm. She like reading fairy tales. She finds the rock of an eye and places it in a statue with a missing right eye and it is supposed to be a reference to Horus eye - associated with the perception of concrete and  factual information (male side of the brain) according to the Vigilant Citizen website. An insect emerges.

Vidal who represents Spanish Fascism looks at his watch and says, "15 minutes late." He is quickly established as an asshole. Carmen is pregnant. Vidal calls for Mercedes who represents socialism to help Carmen. Ofelia almost goes into a labyrinth lead by an insect/fairy. Dr. Ferreiro hands something to Mercedes. Dr. Ferreiro tells Vidal Carmen is very weak. Vidal finds two guerrillas and kills one by smashing a wine bottle on his face and shooting him them he shoots and kills his father.

The fairy leads Ofelia to the labyrinth. A faun greets her which looks like a baphomet/Satan. She asks him, "Who are you?" The faun replies, "Me, I've had so many names... Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce." He tells her she is Princess Moanna, daughter of the king of the underworld. He tells her she must complete three tasks before the moon is full. "In ancient mythology, fauns, satyrs and the Greek god Pan were somewhat similar as they all bear the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. Pan is a prototype of natural energy and is undoubtedly a phallic deity, representing the impregnating power of the sun." (Vigilant Citizen)

The faun gives Ofelia The Book of Crossroads which will show her future. She opens the book in private and the blank pages come to life as they form words and pictures. "The first task given by the Faun to Ofelia is to retrieve a key from a giant toad who is sucking the life out of an ancient fig tree. There starts the quest of 'returning to the womb' and rekindling the oppressed feminine. The interior of the tree is damp and moist, symbolizing once again the womb-giver of life. The tree itself looks like a uterus." (Vigilant Citizen) She must put 3 magic stones in the toad's mouth and get a key from its stomach. The Book of Crossroads tells her the tree will prosper again.

She climbs inside the tree. She tricks the toad into eating the 3 magic stones by making it think it's bugs. She gets the key. She goes to the labyrinth and meets the faun who is happy that she succeeded with her task. The Book of Crossroads predicts Carmen's vaginal bleeding. The faun tells Ofelia to put a mandrake root under her mother's bed in a bowl of fresh milk. "Each morning give it two drops of blood." says the faun. He gives her an hourglass and tells her not to drink or eat anything from the feast.

Ofelia uses the chalk to draw and form a door. She cannot drink or eat anything from the other side. She sees pictures of the Pale Man eating and stabbing children on the ceiling. The fairies direct her to the middle box but she chooses the left one and finds a knife inside. The fairies try to stop her from eating a grape but she does it anyways. The Pale Man eats two of the fairies. She uses the chalk to draw and form another door to escape.

Ofelia puts a mandrake in milk under the mother's bed and the mandrake comes to life. Vidal and his army fight the rebels in the woods. They capture Mercedes's brother. The faun is angry that Ofelia broke the rules and ate two grapes. He says she will never return to the underworld.

Carmen dies during childbirth. Mercedes escapes torture. She stabs Vidal and the rebels kill a portion of Vidal's army. For the third task the faun tells Ofelia to bring her brother to the labyrinth. Ofelia drugs him and takes her newborn brother with her. Vidal follows Ofelia into the labyrinth. The faun wants to take a pinprick of the baby for a drop of blood of an innocent. Ofelia refuses. Vidal finds her and shoots her. When he leaves the labyrinth he gives Mercedes the baby and one of the guerrillas shoots him dead.

She awakens in another realm (hell/underworld) and sees her true parents in thrones exalted high in the air. They congratulate her on sacrificing herself than that of an innocent newborn.


Works Cited:

https://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-esoteric-interpretation-of-pans-labyrinth/
http://www.traditioninaction.org/movies/011mrPansLabryinth.htm