Pan’s Labyrinth is a beautiful film. It’s cinematically gorgeous and has a lot of imagination. As a fan of Rick Riordan, I especially like the references to the Greek pantheon and that regular kids might have a connection to superordinate powers. The revolutionaries often have rather poignant quotes about their condition and their perspective on life.
For
example, “Capitán Vidal: You could have obeyed me!
Doctor: But captain, to obey - just like that - for
obedience's sake... without questioning... That's something only people like
you do. “
Also,
“Carmen: You're getting older, and you'll see that life
isn't like your fairy tales. The world is a cruel place. And you'll learn of
that, even if it hurts.”
But what are we actually saying in the majority of this movie?
What are we saying about the value of lesser people? About who has power, and
why? Yes Ofelia has power, and so does Carmen, but not the kind I want. I don’t
want the Captain’s violence either Ofelia only has power in fairy tales. In
magical adventures where she gets to use her intelligence and strong moral
spirit. And then she gets punished for it, in the real world, even by her own
mother. It would have been very sad if in her maturity, she would be jaded like
Mercedes: “No. But when I was a little girl, I did. I believed in a lot of
things I don't believe anymore”.
Her mother has the power to create children, but only at the
expense of her own life. Indeed, she is only valued as long as the child can be
saved. Ofelia believes she has the power to make her brother a prince in
exchange for saving their mother. Even if their mother had survived, does
Ofelia have that authority? In any case, she is giving up some of her authority
to him. What we saying when we only give women generative or sacrificial power?
Even worse, when it’s a 10-year-old girl, who is not allowed to believe in
fairy tales. She gets the beautiful palace, but only when she dies first. Is
this real, is this her imagination, or is this some definition of the afterlife?
Why is this somehow a darker impression for me than the end of the Chronicles of Narnia series? Is it
because it only happens to a girl, and the boy is spared? Or is it because this
story collapses the coronation at the end of the first book with the end of the
last book where we found out the main characters twist of fate? At what point
will we be able to say to our brokenness:
“No. He won't even know
your name”.
When will we actually mean it as truth and not as a cover up?
Discussion question: In Pan’s Labyrinth, What are we saying
about the value of lesser people? About who has power, and why?
