Symbolism

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Spanish language fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Torro.  Pan’s Labyrinth is an allegorical story that can be interpreted in numerous ways through the many symbols. The movie takes place in the mountains of fascist Spain at a military camp fighting against the rebels. The main character Ofelia, a young girl with a vivid imagination, travel with her pregnant mother to meet her stepfather, a heartless captain of the Spanish army. It is at this camp she learns about the reality of mortality and the meaning of self-sacrifice. The scene near the end where Ofelia steals her brother from Captain Vidal is very meaningful. The faun wanted her to give him the baby to obtain a drop of innocent blood. Ofelia refuses to give the baby. At this point, Captain Vidal finds Ofelia. He takes the baby back and shoots Ofelia. Ofelia’s own blood falls into the labyrinth. She protected an innocent by self-sacrificing. After sacrificing herself and completing the three tasks, she is shown in another realm where her ‘real’ parents await. Pan’s Labyrinth shows a young girl who is exposed to the severity of the real world which destroys her innocent spirit. Children have been shown to respond to a traumatic event by dissociating into a fantasy world where anything is possible.