Pan’s Labryinth has received critical acclaim for not only its beautifully crafted superficial layer but the intrinsic meaning of the story. Pan's Labyrinth takes place in Spain, after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The plot of the movie interweaves the real world of that time with a fantasy world. The fantasy portion of the film is centered on an untended and abandoned labyrinth with a mysterious faun creature with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Captain Vidal, hunts the Maquis who fight against the Fascist reign in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden paralleled to that of her real life.
Pan’s Labryinth brings to light a poignant story about a completely distressing subject. Both reality and fantasy are necessary for the transition of the story and make it that much better of a film. If the film lacked Ofelia’s daydream maze, the story would have less depth and impact. The fantasy is a perfect parallel to the reality that Ofelia is obviously avoiding. Devoid of reality, the ending would come as a complete surprise. The movie would be centered on a young Spanish girl who lives in this trippy and unrealistic fantasy land. The audience would be drawn out into an actuality not even known to exist. This would make everything about the film a blatant lie and falsehood. That being said, the film is dependent upon both worlds because without one, the story, characters, and intrinsic meaning would be worthless.
At the film’s closing, it is revealed to the audience that Ofelia's fantasy world is all a manifestation of her own psyche. Due to this nonconforming ending to a supposed fairytale, including the historical context and real world setting makes her issues that much more understandable. Whether it was the war, her step-father’s nature, or the fact that her mother was quite ill, the fantasy world serves as an escape for Ofelia’s mind to forget about the depressing reality. Ofelia fights her own war within herself, and the real war draws another parallel for the story.
In regards to obedience or disobedience, Ofelia struggles in many cases. For one instance, she has issues being obedient to her ill mother and stepfather by reading and believing in the fairy tales. Ofelia also has issues calling a man she hardly knows her father when her real dad is fresh in the grave. Ofelia also remains obedient to her insanity throughout the film by letting her brain manifest this crazy world within herself.
Pan's Labyrinth is very similar to Alice and Wonderland. Escaping a world of turmoil and obedience, Alice falls down a rabbit hole and into a fantasy world where the struggles there are exciting rather than droll or typical. The children in both stories don't want to face the realities of adulthood and the dark nature it poses.
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