History Film / PansLabyrinth

Imagine ''AliceInWonderland'' [[XMeetsY meeting]] ''TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', then joined by ''TheWindThatShakesTheBarley'' with a sizable portion of [[TheBrothersGrimm The Brothers]] [[{{Grimmification}} Grimm]] thrown in.

As [[MagicalGirlQueenlinessTest she undergoes trials to prove her soul is uncorrupted]] by [[HumansAreBastards living among humans]], so do the rebels, her mother, and her nursemaid and only friend Mercedes.

-->"You won't be the first pig I've gutted, motherfucker."

* BerserkButton: If one is to [[spoiler:hurt children]], one will provoke a level of wrath one would not expect to see from [[ActionGirl Mercedes]].

** WordOfGod says that the Pale Man was visually inspired by a movie poster (from the ''{{Phantasm}}'' film) of a woman with hands in front of her eyes, partially transparent so that the eyes were still visible. And the rest of the creature was supposed to resemble a morbidly obese man who had lost his fat and muscle mass during the endless years of sitting paralyzed in front of the cursed banquet, according to rumours partially inspired by Guillermo del Toro himself after a vigorous diet.

* DarkIsNotEvil: The various [[spoiler: faeries and the Faun]]. It's humans you should watch out for. On the other hand, there's also the Pale Man.

* DownTheRabbitHole

** Alternately, you have to assume a variation on the idea that the Faun and the faeries are in one world, and everybody else is in another and the only reason Ofelia can see them is because she belongs to both worlds. Either that or you go down the pathway of delusions and schizophrenia.

* FacePalm: The faeries (and us in the audience) when Ofelia eats the grapes.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: Vidal orders Dr. Ferraro to treat the wounds of a rebel he is torturing so that he can be tortured some more. The man begs Dr. Ferraro to kill him, and Ferraro obliges by giving a lethal injection.

* ItGotWorse: * Shudder*

** [[spoiler:She's strong but she's not a fighter, and she's up against a man in his prime. She'd have a hard time hitting a vital spot with that small knife once he got over his shock enough to fight back.]]

* OurFairiesAreDifferent: They disguise themselves as insects.

*** The Falangists had shown no mercy to them, so they obviously weren't inclined to give any back. Also, it's not as if they could take prisoners, and fighting without uniforms as they do is also considered a war crime.

* ShoutOut: In the commentary, GuillermoDelToro points out many shoutouts to CharlesDickens, StephenKing, several surrealist painters, and many others.

** He's using the bottom of the bottle, which is usually the thickest part, especially when it comes to wine bottles.

** YMMV. Ofelia likes fairy tales, and the movie is set up like one. In some fairy tales (but not all), the main character will fail to listen to advice, or do something they were told specifically not to do--and no clear reason is given. In some cases the tale ends here, otherwise the main character must do something to redeem themselves in the eyes of their quest-giver. So Ofelia is just acting in accordance with the fairy-tale princess that she believes she is--or else she can't act any other way because she IS a fairy-tale princess.

** As noted under TooDumbToLive, Ofelia is just acting like a character in a fairy tale.
* WickedStepmother: Father actually, Vidal to Ofelia. But "wicked" is [[CompleteMonster a bit too mild]].

**** Technically [[spoiler: the rebels shooting Captain Vidal at the end after capturing him also was (at least without a trial) - though the viewer is generally sympathetic since he had just shot Ofelia, to add to all his other atrocities]]

* SoftGlass: Subverted in a scene early on which has Captain Vidal smashing a man's face in with a wine bottle. The ''bottle'' doesn't beak.

* OurFairiesAreDifferent:

* BittersweetEnding: With ample helpings of DownerEnding.

* DownerEnding: Depending on viewer interpretation, it's either this or a BittersweetEnding. Despite the end being filled with bright colors and joy, [[YourMileageMayVary it can still be very traumatic]]. WordOfGod says it's meant to be [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet.]]

As she undergoes trials to prove her soul is uncorrupted by [[HumansAreBastards living among humans]], so do the rebels, her mother, and her nursemaid and only friend Mercedes.

Warning, this film is a TearJerker. A ''profoundly disturbing'' TearJerker. Besides a great source of HighOctaneNightmareFuel. For those of you who [[RRatedOpening missed the R rating]] ...[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids this fairy tale is very definitely not for children]].

* EveryoneHasStandards: The faun [[WhatTheHellHero pretty much loses his shit]] when he finds out Ophelia got his two fairy buddies eaten by the [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Pale Man.]]

* FoodChains: Don't eat the food on the table means, ''don't eat the food on the table with Mr. HighOctaneNightmareFuel sitting there.'' (Though, since it was wartime, it was likely that Ofelia hadn't eaten or seen fresh fruit in a long while. And she had been sent to bed without supper, so was more hungry than usual)

** Her disobedience lead to the [[spoiler:[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel truly horrible deaths]] of the fairies who were trying to help her.]] It's understandable that he would be pissed, especially considering [[spoiler:how affectionate the faun is towards them.]]

* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even The JerkAss Has Standards]]: The faun [[WhatTheHellHero pretty much loses his shit]] when he finds out Ophelia got his two fairy buddies eaten by the [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Pale Man.]]

*** It gets even ''more'' [[BeyondTheImpossible awesome]]: Not only did he need to learn Ophelia's lines so he would know when to speak, but he couldn't ''hear the actress'' because the servos in the costume were so loud.

* BeyondTheImpossible: This movie got a 22-MINUTE standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PansLabyrinth.jpg

''Pan's Labyrinth'', a dark, modern-day fairy tale, released by WarnerBros. in Spian, and Picturehouse in The United States. It is complete with [[TheFairFolk fairies]], [[SecretTestOfCharacter Secret Tests Of Character]], and monsters -- not all of them supernatural.

''Pan's Labyrinth'', a dark, modern-day fairy tale by WarnerBros., complete with [[TheFairFolk fairies]], [[SecretTestOfCharacter Secret Tests Of Character]], and monsters -- not all of them supernatural.

''Pan's Labyrinth'', a dark, modern-day fairy tale, complete with [[TheFairFolk fairies]], [[SecretTestOfCharacter Secret Tests Of Character]], and monsters -- not all of them supernatural.

* LetsGetDangerous: Mercedes at first comes off as a fairly meek women, even if she is TheMole, and she considers herself a coward. Then, [[spoiler: when she's been captured and is facing ColdBloodedTorture [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome she whips out a knife and gives Vidal a glasgow grin]]]].

* [[{{TearJerker/Film}} Tear Jerker]]

* RuleOfThree: Three tests to prove her worth. Three items to be collected. Three times Ofelia goes to the Labyrinth, three times the Faun comes to her in her room. Three doors made with chalk. You get the picture.
** Three fairies. :D

* IAmNotShazam: The Faun has no mentioned name; "Pan" was used in the English title under the assumption that [[ViewersAreMorons people would confuse "faun" with "fawn" (baby deer)]].
** WordOfGod has confirmed that his idea of Pan is far too wild and dangerous to serve in a role of the Faun (Which makes sense, considering the actual mythology behind the God Pan, who is often described as hypersexual or even paedophile).
** And, well, considering what the director [[CosmicHorrorStory is into]], his idea of Pan would probably be akin to ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan''. Which is HighOctaneNightmareFuel in book form.

* MagnumOpus: For Guillermo Del Toro.

** And, well, considering what the director [[CosmicHorrorStory is into]], his idea of Pan would probably be akin to TheGreatGodPan. Which is HighOctaneNightmareFuel in book form.

** Considering the Captain's character, it's likely meant to give the impression that he's sure the baby is a boy. In his mind, he's convinced he's too strong to have made anything but a boy. At least, that's the impression this troper got.

** True, for the most part. But they're not completely idealized. Most notably, they have a subtle WhatTheHellHero moment that's pointed out by WordOfGod in the DVDCommentary: [[spoiler: when they defeat Vidal's forces, they shoot their captives in the head, in a scene that cleverly mirrors an earlier scene in which the Falangists had shot captive rebels.]]

Imagine ''AliceInWonderland'' [[XMeetsY meeting]], ''TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', then joined by ''TheWindThatShakesTheBarley'' with a sizable portion of [[TheBrothersGrimm The Brothers]] [[{{Grimmification}} Grimm]] thrown in.

Imagine ''AliceInWonderland'' [[XMeetsY meeting]] ''TheWindThatShakesTheBarley'', then joined by ''TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', with a sizable portion of [[TheBrothersGrimm The Brothers]] [[{{Grimmification}} Grimm]] thrown in.