Encountering Pan's Labyrinth

Last night I finally watched the film I’ve been curious about for some time now – Pan’s Labyrinth. Ofelia, the female main character reminded me of Violet from the film “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” an altogether unfortunate film in itself. Both girls have the chestnut dark brown hair with very pale, very delicate complexions and oddly sensuous and full lips for a child. The child was luminous.

The film takes place in Spain during a particularly tumultuous time when two warring factions struggle to gain control of the country. One side has become the guerilla side, the other side seeks to claim legitimacy through organization, manpower, and uniforms. Yet essentially, we see this is a country at war and spies and undercover agents abound, as in most wars. Similarly, torture as a means to extract information was readily employed, which mercifully, we were mostly spared from. This was a dark, dark film, with an ominous undertone throughout. Even when the fantasies of the child led her into an enchanted and creepy netherworld, we as the audience are conscious throughout that true evil is not within that kingdom. It is outside and everywhere else.

I was extremely tickled by the appearance of the mandrake root in this film. The mandrake root was placed in milk, upon which it became an imitation baby, flailing its little plant stubs around and wailing like a child. It was adorable. When I was a kid, I watched this Asian drama where a little “mandrake root” walked around and all the villains fought each other to consume this delicacy. A four-year-old girl or boy played this plant. It was adorable too, often tripping from one place to another, and was only capable of saying, “Ya yaaa Ya yaaaa.” It relied completely on the kind fairy to protect him from becoming someone’s medicinal herbal broth.

What to say about Pan’s Labyrinth? It is a beautiful film, with tremendous creative energy employed in the birth of certain monsters. I shall never forget the grotesque figure of the mummy like creature with eyeballs in his palms. His bloodstained finger nails were a great touch too. He was almost too exotic and interesting to be truly terrifying. The part that was no fun at all was the gory, sickening aftermath of a captured and of course, mutilated guerrilla, who pleaded to be killed in the end to the doctor. Death, in this film, appears to be a blessing and a gift. The film may well be saying that, only through that portal, shall we enter a kingdom infinitely richer and more majestic than what life as a human can provide. After watching this film, I can’t say I disagree.