Pan’s Labyrinth

Creepy Child-Molester Dude

• Pan’s Labyrinth (Or El Laberinto del Fauno). I finally got to see it this weekend (about twenty minutes ago to be exact) and I feel the need to write about it. So there you have it.

Let me start by saying that I really should have enjoyed this movie. I really should have. But – I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong though, there were a lot of good things going on in this movie and there was a lot about the film I enjoyed. So let’s go ahead and start with the spoilers, commentary and all that below the cut:

Good Stuff

• The Look: There is no question that this is a beautiful movie. The costuming, the character designs, the filmography – it’s all quite a vision. There was some amazing camera work going on during the extent of the movie.  One scene in particular – Captain Vidal Shaving during the first part of the film. The transitions in that scene alone were wonderfully executed. Not to mention all of the detail and attention given to the Faun & The Pale Man. There’s not doubt in my mind this film deserves acclaim for that alone.
• The Sound: I am in love with the main theme/lullaby of this movie. It’s a beautifully written piece of music and it works well into the film.
• The Faun: Despite getting serious child-molestor vibes from The Faun, his relationship with Ofelia was well done and interesting. It set up a certain mood for the film that was dark and fell in line with the other story line (Captain vs Guerillas)  running through the movie. He was energetic and manipulative while somehow still being the good guy.
• The Storytelling: Personal feelings about the story itself aside, this movie is amazingly well put together. The transitions between the real world and Ofelia’s fantasy world are seamless and work into each other well. Specifically the ending scene where the Captain walks in upon Ofelia talking to the Faun (from what he sees – talking to herself). It was a magnificent way to tie the two main story lines into each other  and end the film.

Anyone else reminded of Alice in Wonderland?

Aside from those things however, I felt there was a lot about this film that…well. Bothered me. I had a hard time getting into the plot of this movie – or enjoying it. The rest of this post is basically going to delve into a rant, so enjoy at your leisure as I break it up into bullets that trail into each other. Mwa ha ha ha:

The Rant

• I feel like a movie called ‘Pan’s Labryinth’ should be about…you know, the Labyrinth. The Faun. Heck, the little girl. There were times when we were so entrenched in the Mercedes storyline that I forgot there was anything mystical or magical going on during the movie. The Faun would show up and I’d be like “oh yeah, the girl…” The balance in the movie just seemed off.

The Captain spies something that didn't belong.

• In fact, while we’re on that topic – did the fairy tale about the little girl even matter in the long run? The majority of the conflict of this film focused on the Captain and Mercedes. The guerillas, the Doctor. They all seemed to matter more than the hallucinating kid. (I would have been happier if everything she’d been doing was real…but to be honest? Her making it up seemed to make more sense by the end of it.)
• And before we go further – my favorite character in this film was Captain Vidal.

He was a sexy man.

• The Captain – who was portrayed to be ‘the monster’ int he movie, was probably one of the most likable characters in the entire movie. He was brave, he did his job, and he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He was a caring father and did his best to ration the supplies that they had. I’ll admit, he did have his flaws. He was trigger happy; yes. He killed a lot of people in this movie. But – so did the guerillas. They killed just as many of his men as he did theirs. It’s not like he was the only one at fault here.
• Plus? All things considered – I don’t see how he made Ofelia’s life miserable at all. Sure he was a little cranky and stand-offish but he was never outwardly mean to her. He fed her, kept her bathed, let her keep her books, gave her her own room when her mother got sick, took care of her mother, listened to her when she came for help and other things. The point is – he didn’t do a single thing specifically to Ofelia that would have made her miserable or hate him. And yet it was there.

My favorite scene of the film.

• In fact, my favorite scene of the film is when the Captain’s son (and Ofelia’s baby brother) is born. Captain Vidal has clearly shown as much care and love for this child as the mother and Ofelia. He sits and waits patiently while the child is born – with Ofelia. True, he had been a bit rough with her in the scene before, but he didn’t hit her and to be fair – everything was going to hell in a hand basket. It’s understandable he was a bit upset.
• He probably crossed a line when he hit her later in the film after she tries to run away with Mercedes; but all things considered – it didn’t look like he was going to do anything else to her.
• And then of course there’s the shooting her thing at the end – but she had also kidnapped his son, drugged him on opiates and he was fairly certain he was going to die anyway. Didn’t make it right, but he’s still human.

Don't take things from strangers!

• Plus, you know – everything could have been avoided if Ofelia had just not listened to the creepy Faun in the first place. Didn’t anyone tell her not to talk to strange, supernatural creatures telling you they’re from the underworld?

The Pale Man reminds me of a Silent Hill Reject

• Or that could still be me being bitter about the death of the two fairies. They were creepy little things, sure – but if Ofelia hadn’t eaten the damn grapes from the table like EVERYONE told her not to, again – could have been avoided.

Captain Vidal makes a Chelsea Grin look good.

• *breathes* Good things. Good things – oh yeah, did I mention Captain Vidal stitches his own mouth shut, without pain killers? I think I’m in love with this man.

Mercedes was a bitch.

• And now we’ll end with the heart of my rant. Mercedes. I hated her. I know that in war people do things to win that are sometimes immoral and go against everything that involves fair play. However – nothing bothers me more than traitors. Trusted servants who turn on their bosses bother me. Abuses of trust have always rubbed me the wrong way. (That and people who involve children in things that the shouldn’t – why the heck did she go tell Ofelia she was leaving? surely she knew the little girl with the dead mother would want to come! She did nothing but put the child in danger.) Her betrayal of the Captain, in particular angered me.
• At one point, Mercedes says that she got away with the things that she did because the Captain over looked her and didn’t think anything of her because she was a woman. I didn’t see that – he trusted her with a lot. He trusted her with his food, the storage room keys (up until the rationing, but he trusted that she was telling the truth when he asked how many keys there were) and with house maintenance. Sure it just seems like servant work – but that was her job! He was always calling on her and knew her name.
• But what got me most of all? The Captain’s death scene. Through out the film the Captain has put love and attention into his father’s watch. He fixed it so he could get it to start working again so he too could pass on to his son the time of his death and the lesson of how to die like a man. After shooting Ofelia and accepting his fate, he gives his baby boy (his beloved baby boy) to Mercedes and asks her to give him his watch. Her response? “No. He won’t even know your name.” Before shooting him in the face.
• My response? A an exclaimed, and aghast: “Bitch.”
• Needless to say; I couldn’t forgive her for that. It was uncalled for. Not only did she sneak under this man’s nose and gain his trust only to betray him and destroy not only his home, but the lives of his men – but she denied him one last wish.
• Just about her only saving grace was she knew a lovely lullaby.

The Conclusion

This is a movie I should have enjoyed. It was supposed to be an mature fantasy about a girl in the middle of a war engulfed in her own fantasy land to escape her hardships. What I saw was a little girl trapped in a fantasy land…but she wasn’t exactly experiencing any hardships. Or at least not from the Captain. It’s not completely his fault the mother got sick; true, she shouldn’t have been traveling but it’s not like he wished it on her.

Anyway, I know he wasn’t completely innocent but I couldn’t help but cheer for the Captain this entire movie. The ending feeling bittersweet and unsatisfying. So much so that it overshadowed any placebo joy the ‘Ofelia becoming a princess’ ending should have created.

I think I’m most upset because I feel a lot of potential for this movie. I loved the Captain, I liked Ofelia, I liked the Faun, I liked the Doctor and the acting and visual feel of the movie – I just feel there could have been more done with them or it could have gone in a different direction.

Ah well, that’s what fanfiction is for.