Where fantasy provides justification for reality

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2010)

I dislike fantasies, particularly modern versions. As a child, I saw many; and, as a child, I enjoyed them. There comes a time, however, when you must grow up to face reality. Or try to as Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) says in the story.
I knew nothing of Pan's Labyrinth (PL), and even less of the director, del Toro, before I finally decided to see it – on the recommendation of a trusted friend. Up front, I'll say this: technically and visually, it's quite stunning and worth seeing for those aspects alone. It probably deserved the awards received for those aspects (not sure that I would have applauded for the putative twenty minutes at Cannes, however). On top of that, the period setting, the music, the special effects and acting are all up to par.
But this film is not for children.
---
(IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, THEN READ NO FURTHER – MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW)
---
Where the film seems to fail, for many viewers here, is in the narrative and plot. From my perspective, however, I think it succeeds for two reasons: first, all good narratives should achieve a thematic balance by foreshadowing the end of the story at the beginning. In that regards, PL opens with the young protagonist, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), mortally wounded, on the ground, looking at the viewer; as the story ends, the film brings the viewer back to that same scene.
With the opening scene, as the camera slowly zooms in to Ofelia's eyeball, the viewer sees blood – that had been flowing from her nose – magically defy gravity and flow backwards: the viewer is now going back in time.
And so, the plot begins...
From that point, until the final scene, the viewer is inside Ofelia's mind: all that follows are the last thoughts of Ofelia before she dies, exemplifying the idea that, at the point of death, one's life flashes through your mind.
Ofelia, however, mixes the fantasy of her own collection of fairy tales with the realities of the cruel world of Fascist Spain and thus brings the viewer on an allegorical and magical mystery tour of the circumstances that result in her heroism when facing and defeating evil – in the form of Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), her step-father – and her own death at his very hands. So, to that extent, the two worlds of reality and fantasy are in perfect accord (excluding some narrative inconsistencies – too long and complex to discuss here).
So, why does Ofelia review only the last few hours of her short life? In my opinion, as a child victim of war, she's coming to terms with the choices she's made that result in her own death while saving her new-born half-brother from the dictates of her monstrous step-father. Children are always the biggest losers in war and Ofelia makes the biggest sacrifice by choosing to die to save a baby.
Structuring the story around the idea of 'life flashing before your eyes when dying' has been done already in such diverse films as Donnie Darko (2001), Mulholland Drive (2001), Jacob's Ladder (1990) and others. For PL, it's the only narrative device that makes sense to this viewer and helps to resolve the apparent narrative discord in this film, between reality and fantasy, noted by many reviewers.
Having now seen PL, I'm glad I did, because it's a finely crafted story grounded in reality, and especially in the reality of fantasy, without which our common humanity would be much poorer. Having said that, I'll still avoid pure fantasy in film.
And finally, although I don't rate the film as highly as most do, I do recommend it – including the extreme violence – for all interested adults.