Originally posted by kendocubano: I believe that the entire movie occurs in the instant of her death. Reality is not the issue, because, like "American Beauty," the film is the "movie in her mind" at the moment of her death. Even into what happens after her death. What sort of death does a little girl construct for herself? A fairytale, of course. I thought the film was brilliant. One of the best films I've ever seen. But I don't want to see it again.
**Light bulb turns on over head**
Thanks Kendo! Really interesting too, because I just recently watched American Beauty for the first time since I saw in in the theatre.
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Posts: 1996 | Location: The Noog, TN | Registered: 08 April 2007
I think there's a couple different ways you can look at that ending. As Kendo said, one is that all the fantasy aspects were a figment of Ofelia's imagination, giving her a way to deal with her own death. The other interpretation is that the fantasy aspects are real, and Ofelia didn't actually die but ascended to the throne of the underworld kingdom as Princess Moanna. The latter interpretation makes the film less sad, but I think Guillermo Del Toro planned it that way. The film is a fable about death, and as with the way people handle death in real life, you can look at it two ways: either as a depressing finality or as a stepping stone to get to a better place. It's a genius movie for sure.
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Posts: 5160 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 19 June 2005
Originally posted by ericg75: The film is a fable about death, and as with the way people handle death in real life, you can look at it two ways: either as a depressing finality or as a stepping stone to get to a better place. It's a genius movie for sure.
Agreed. I felt both at the same time. I found it very uplifting that the girl was able to act so selflessly. Even if you don't think the fantasies are real, the fact that she was content in her death was also strangely comforting.
Posts: 707 | Location: DC | Registered: 05 January 2007
Have any of you seen "The Devil's Backbone"? It's a kinda prequel to "Pan's Labyrinth", taking place near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. It's not a fantasy film, but a ghost story about a murdered child's ghost haunting a home for (what I think are) war orphans. I should mention that if you had a problem watching a single child "die" in "Pan"(however, as I've pointed out before, del Toro does make a point to say the fantasies were REAL in the commentary and that she DIDN'T die, but I know you guys LOVE to watch movies from your own P.O.V. which is fun, too ), you might not be able to watch as several kids are killed in this one. If it makes any difference, the deaths aren't as prolonged as it was in "Pan", either. What's with del Toro always killing off the kids in his movies? Isn't killing kids and dogs a BIG movie no-no? Ya know, he killed two boys and a dog in "Mimic", too!
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Posts: 2425 | Location: Springfield, Oh! Hi ya, Maude! | Registered: 01 January 2007
), you might not be able to watch as several kids are killed in this one. If it makes any difference, the deaths aren't as prolonged as it was in "Pan", either. What's with del Toro always killing off the kids in his movies? Isn't killing kids and dogs a BIG movie no-no? Ya know, he killed two boys and a dog in "Mimic", too! 
