[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by joshaube

I do see where your coming from, and many share your opinion. My concept of what the film was trying to do is merely speculation; that is what the film allows. Nothing is truly explained.

Pan's Labyrinth's point, I thought, was the story of Ofelia. She was trying to cope with the current state of her life through escapist methods. She came to face what was going on in real life through her imagination; through the fairy tale. The biggest question is whether or not this fantasy existed. Is the film itself a fantasy, or is it more the story of adolescence. In my opinion, what occurred in this film (the fawn, her trials...) were not real. They were simply her imagination, stories she told herself, stories she created. They were presented to us as if they were occurring; as if they were real. Because Ofelia wanted to believe they were real, perhaps she even did. Everything she experiences in the fantasy world is directly related to the events occurring in the real world. She is merely using this covering in order to make what is happening easier for her to accept.

I believe people came in to this film expecting two things. A period film, or a fantasy film (like Narnia or something... that type of fantasy film. We are expected to believe that the fantasy is real.) A fairy tale, straight and simple (I hope you know what I mean...) It certainly was promoted with a fantastical lean. What they got was neither, not concretely, but a mixture of the two. And that's what the movie's point was.

It allows the viewer a war film, and a fantasy film, but if you focus on either, you're missing the point. The focus is Ofelia. The point is, that the real world is happening, and the fantasy world is her trying to cope with it. Guillermo uses the two worlds to get the message across. So I don't think it was uneven. He did what he wanted to do, use contrast and connection and a central chracter to get a messages across. Along the way, he did throw in a social commentary and his own ideas of Spain. That's just a personal touch.

I hope you understood this. It sounds right in my head, but I can't hammer it out. How I see the film, that is. So... this is the best I can do... :p

Thanks Josh... Definitely clear (and it's good to see someone who rants just as much as I do). :)

Oh, yeah, I definitely get "it"... I definitely get the point of the film, which is mostly why I was so irritated after leaving the theater. The movie is about Ofelia... But it just doesn't... work. I really thought that Guillermo got a little lost and tried to do WAY too much. Honestly, I felt as though Ofelia got a little lost during the war subtext.

For me, it wasn't as simple as, "I was looking for more fantasy scenes." I didn't expect the movie to be just a simple, pretty fantasy movie (just to make that clear - most people who hear my criticism think that I'm complaining, "I wanted another Mirrormask!" but it's not as black and white as that). I expected it to be dark, mature, moody and thought-provoking through using the medium of of imperfect and scary imaginings... Being whimsical, but dark and mature at the same time... But what came above and beyond the fantasy in the film, well, just wasn't interesting for me, and I thought distracted from what was supposed to be the main focus.

I like the concept of escapism through dark fantasy (and that the fantasy itself is dark, grotesque, and scary, a pure reflection of the world that she is trying to escape, but just simply can't release entirely)... I mean, the concept of a little girl's escapist fantasies are just as dark and scary as reality... Is brilliant! But, again, I thought that there was a bit too much of the "reality." SO much, in fact, that I found myself asking, "What is the point?" The non-Ofelia-centric scenes were just... boring. I thought that Guillermo was really beating a dead horse (life is violent, unfair, and totally sucks... and, thusly inspired, so are fantasies - How tragic! :eek: ).

Even though I found the movie overrated, honestly I can see why people liked the film - it's not without merit (INCREDIBLY well-directed and now I HAVE to see more of his films), but it just didn't come together for me.