Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun

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Not only are the adults in Ofelia’s life trying to convince her to fit in more with the adult world, but they also represent the authoritarian government of Spain. Vidal, Carmen’s new husband, is a Falangist and is working to hunt down rebels from the war, those who are still fighting the Francoist regime. Thus, the contrast and tension between the fantastical world, which so fascinates the young Ofelia, and the real world, the world that her mother has entered into by marriage, is analogous to the tension between the rebels—those who dream of a better political future for Spain—and the Falangists—upholders of the authoritarian and fascist government.

Capitán,” the younger one said as Vidal scrutinized them wordlessly, “this is my father.” He gestured to the older man. “He is an honorable man.” The opening lines of the film set the stage for the fantastical world of the film. The faun tells us the story of Princess Moanna, who wandered out of the safety of the underworld and was subjected to the hardships of the world of the living.

Dr. Ferreira was a good man, a gentle soul. That much was apparent to Ofelia the moment he walked into her mother’s room. One can spot kindness as clearly as cruelty. It spreads light and warmth and the doctor seemed filled with both. The doctor looked at him in surprise. His eyes always looked slightly surprised behind those silver-rimmed glasses. He opened his soft mouth to answer when Garces and Serrano appeared in the doorway. He. Nobody spoke his name. Vidal. It sounded like a stone thrown through a window, each letter a piece of broken glass. Capitán. That’s what most of them called him. But Ofelia still thought Wolf fit him much better.

I never watched the film because I thought it would be too scary/violent for me, though I imagined I would love the fairy tale aspects of it. So I was very excited to read this adaptation by one of my favourite authors! I’m happy to read your review and know that the book stands on its own, being an accurate yet expanded version of the film’s story. What? Vidal challenged them with his eyes. He had a temper. Yes. What were they thinking now, staring at the two dead men at their feet? That some of their fathers and brothers were peasants too? That they also loved their daughters and their sons? That one day he would do the same to them? Spain, 1944. “The Civil War is over. Hidden in the mountains, armed men are still fighting the new fascist regime.” We see a child lying on the ground with a bloody nose, as a narrator tells us, “A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world. She dreamt of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine.” Fool. Vidal walked toward the door, the smoke of his cigarette following him through the sparsely lit room. Vidal didn’t like lights. He liked to see his own darkness. He was almost at the door when Ferreira once again raised his annoyingly gentle voice. I do,” Mercedes replied. “You’ll see, you will love your little brother. Very much. You won’t be able to help it.”The film blends ordinary stories told in the realist mode—the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl who is on the brink of outgrowing the fairytale stories to which she is so attached—with more fantastical elements. The title card at the beginning of the film presents the aftermath of a fascist regime and a real war, but soon enough, we are shown a fantastical world, with underground kingdoms, princesses, kings, labyrinths, and immortal promises. The mythological and the real are set in tension with one another, coexisting in the world of the film from the very start. It’s nothing, cariño. It’s nothing, just the wind. Nights are very different here. In the city you hear cars, the tramway. Here the houses are so much older. They creak. . . .”

This is all I could get,” the doctor said quietly, handing Mercedes a small parcel wrapped in brown paper. “I am sorry.” Her mother continued to stare at the ceiling, suddenly seeming so far away. “When you’re older you’ll understand. It wasn’t easy for me, either, when your father—” When Vidal discovers that Dr. Ferreiro has been working for the rebels, he is angered and suggests that the doctor ought to have obeyed him unquestioningly. The doctor responds with this line, suggesting that blind obedience is not something that everyone has an easy time doing, insulting the captain's fascist politics. Ofelia.” The Wolf crunched her name between his thin lips into something as broken as her mother, and stared at her extended left hand.Her mother’s voice was like a broken bell. Ofelia couldn’t remember her ever sounding like that when her father was still alive. Carmen had closed her eyes. At least when she was dreaming she saw more than this world, didn’t she? Ofelia wondered, pressing her cheek against her mother’s chest. So close, their bodies fusing into one, as they had been before she was born. Ofelia could hear the tide of her mother’s breath, the soft thumping of her heart beating so regularly, like a metronome against bone. Deeper and deeper into the forest the cars drove, with the girl and the mother and the unborn child. And the creature Ofelia had named a Fairy spread her insect wings, folded her six spindly legs, and followed the caravan. Ofelia ran to her side and they walked through the arch, leaving the cold stones and the horned face with the empty eyes behind.

Ofelia felt so safe in her embrace. For the first time since . . . since when? Since her father died. Since her mother met the Wolf. Meanwhile, we see Vidal taking out a shaving razor and shaving his face, then polishing his shoes. When Mercedes comes into his office, he tells her to cook some rabbits for dinner, even though she thinks they are too young to be cooked. He tells her the coffee is burnt, then invites her to try it herself. The son removed his worn-out cap. Vidal knew why the boy was avoiding his eyes. Dirty peasant! He was proud—one could hear it in his voice—and clever enough to know that his captors wouldn’t like that.Carmen is disappointed in Ofelia for dirtying the dress she gave her, and sends her to bed without supper. As Carmen leaves, the insect lands on the edge of the tub, and Ofelia tells it that she has procured the key and is ready to enter the labyrinth. Her mother’s hand felt so hot when Ofelia covered it with her own. Yes, she could feel her brother too. And no, he wouldn’t go away. He wanted to come out. This will help you sleep,” he told her mother as he added a few drops of amber liquid to a glass of water. She drew in her breath sharply and pressed her hand on her swollen belly. “Your brother is acting up again.” Pan's Labyrinth essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Pan's Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro.