History Fridge / PansLabyrinth

*** Not to mention, while I want to believe the OP didn't mean it, their words come off as [[UnfortunateImplications victim-blamey and rather... Offensive]] in regards to DomesticAbuse. Put yourself in Carmen's shoes -- a single mother who's [[UnequalPairing in an incredibly disadvantaged situation]] (war, destitution, illness, etc.) is surely [[TooDumbToLive going to openly rebel against a brute like Vidal]], who could easily hurt her. (Not likely ''kill'' her, since he needs to have a son and heir badly.) And yet the OP says Carmen "allows herself to be dominated in mind and soul" and "is blinded by his wealth, prestige and comfort"? Uh, nope, things aren't that easy -- Carmen was trying to cope with her and Ofelia's damn harsh situation, and definitely couldn't "fight back." One thing is a "weak female character" who has next to no agency/motivations/etc., and another is a "powerless female character" who is in a terrible situation and either cannot strike back or hasn't found out how... Like Carmen. (Ofelia does her best to handle self more actively, [[spoiler: even if trying to retrieve her brother gets her shot to death -- but then Mercedes finishes the job. ''Magnificently''.]])

* When the narrator talks, notice that the story refers to the heroine as "The Princess." There's the detail that the narrator ''never says The Princess and Ofelia were the same person.'' Taking that into account, one can argue that it wasn't real.

* When Captain Vidal is introduced there is a very subtle character-revealing clue. He greets Ofelia and her mother with "Bienvenidos," the Spanish word for "Welcome" for both all-male and mixed-gender company, the male being the baby Ofelia's mother is pregnant with. Del Toro reveals Vidal's misogyny Vidal is including his unborn son's presence along (or even over) the two female characters he's greeting.
* The ending of ''Pan's Labyrinth'' is fairytale cheesy unless you accept the theory that the girl was [[spoiler: hallucinating the entire time to escape from reality and no magical kingdom was waiting for her]].
** So then, one is left to wonder [[spoiler:how far back the hallucination goes. If only the "magical" parts of the movie were hallucinations, and the rest were real, then how did Ofelia escape from the room she was locked in and steal away her brother?]] Having the ending be deliberately ambiguous so the audience could choose which type of ending they liked was a stroke of genius, to be sure. --Amethyst
** Or, conversely, it's GRIMDARK nihilistic unless you accept the girl went through [[spoiler: meaningful, genuine trials and found magic and meaning even in the horribleness of war, without surrendering to either evil or insanity]]. Interestingly, the film sets it up so that this is actually more plausible by the standards of Occam's Razor than the alternative; without it, she [[spoiler:inexplicably teleports twice]] and [[spoiler:the final shot of the flower blooming doesn't have an explanation either, since no one is around to hallucinate it]].
*** Okay, some believe, it was less a hallucination than a trauma-triggered fantasy perception of Ofelia. All of it. One can clearly see how the events involving the magic beings are triggered/dependent on the real-life happenings. And, for that matter, some believe to have figured out, how [[spoiler:she escaped the room in the end]].
*** May be a tiny bit WildMassGuessing, but although we do know that [[spoiler: her door was guarded, the guard may have either gone by the time Ofelia exited, or he went to take a look at the commotion down at in the courtyard (the two survivors of a patrol had made it back to their HQ at the mill.) Now, if it was really fully locked is another thought. Just because Vidal ordered the door to be locked, it doesn't mean that the guard actually did it [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy (he may not have found it necessary.)]] Either that or Vidal actually only bluffed. In fact, as Vidal catches Ofelia with her baby brother in his study, he does not seem very confused why she isn't locked in her room. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He looks rather annoyed, in fact]]. Anyway, as Ofelia, her brother and Captain Vidal escape the mill, the Guerrillas (led by Mercedes) [[YouAreTooLate are seen entering Ofelia's bedroom, only to find it abandoned]]. Although the audience can catch a glimpse of Mercedes pushing open the door, one cannot definitely say whether it had been locked or not. It probably wasn't, or else the Guerrillas would have had to kick it in.]]
** I realised after a few viewings that it's even more brilliant, because there's a third kind of ending -- that the Faun and everything had been real, but he wasn't lying about abandoning her, and only the ending was a hallucination. Which opens up a whole new subtext to the rest of the movie. Her kingdom is called The Underworld, she has to sacrifice a baby to get in, refusing to do so makes her unworthy to get in, and frankly, that Faun just isn't a very convincing good guy. Hell much? --Whatever
*** Yes, God forbid any folklore have a conception of the Underworld that isn't HijackedByJesus. Sorry, but that trope really annoys me.
*** I have never heard those tales about the moon around here. As far as I know, the film takes place in Galicia, or at least in north UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} (and the mythologies have many points in common.) In Galician mythology, there are two worlds: The one above ground, our realm, and the realm of the dead that also is the realm where mouras (like the Irish sidhe,) so it's actually possible that Ofelia died but still managed to return. Also, being dead doesn't mean that you can no longer walk the world of the living.
*** Actually, it does take place in Asturias, and [[Headscratchers/HomePage I need to correct your wrongness for the sake of my pride]].
*** There's a ''huge'' swath of mythology that calls TheOtherworld "the Underworld" in the literal sense of "a magical realm deep within the earth," without the Christian connotation of "Hell." The concept is either OlderThanDirt or at least OlderThanPrint, so it could be assumed that del Toro [[{{Mythopoeia}} made it up himself]].
** Regardless of whether or not [[spoiler:she actually reaches the Underworld when she dies]], the very nature of it is dubiously "good." It took me a day to remember the actual description of the Underworld, which is a world with neither pain nor sunshine. The reason the princess left in the first place was to be able to know joy, which also led to suffering. What made it brilliant was that the traditional moral of these things is "you must know suffering to know joy," therefore, the chaotic world is the better alternative. However, here Ofelia is [[spoiler:desperate to return to the unchanging, safe world. This is also the brilliance of the movie, because the way the [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop traditional moral is reversed]] serves to augment the fact that the heroes of this story are the communist rebels]].
*** Say what? Only if you believe that [[spoiler:communism is about grey jumpsuits and nothing much changing, which would have been a surprise to the anti-Stalinist Trotskyist movement. The communists and anarchists of the Spanish Civil War, who decked out the streets with flags and partied like it was 1999 after the Revolution, might be a bit surprised by this]].
** If it was all just hallucination, then the chalk outline of a door in her room when the adults are looking for her serves no purpose.
** Word of God says that everything really happened, none of it was a hallucination.
*** Is that so? There was an article stating that Creator/GuillermoDelToro never gave a definite answer precisely because it is left up to the viewer to decide even though he tends to hint it was real. Personally, I believe that it was all a tragic hallucination but, either way, limiting the possibilities would be a huge mistake and Del Toro knew that.
** I feel that it would be "cheesy" if it all was a hallucination and confirmed as such. It would suck all the genuine beauty and magic out of the film and reduce if to a boring run of the mill plot where people were too cowardly to ascribe something to magic. Not magic as in the standard [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] hock, but genuine magic, scary and overwhelming. The brilliance is leaving how she got out open to interpretation. Open to the hope, that it was magic.
*** It comes full circle, the movie makes a message about the lack of magic and believing, it seems in modern times the discussing of art has lots a lot of its magic. Where instead of people being able state why they come to conclusions, people are more concerned with finding the author's right and arguing with anyone that disagrees or hating on the fact answer if it's not what they wanted.
*** There's a quote of [[Literature/HarryPotter Dumbledore's]] that seems quite appropriate here. Something like "Of course it was all in your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean it wasn't real?"
** Actually Del Toro states that the film is designed to match the belief of the user, but that his personal vision for the movie was that it was all real. [[http://twitchfilm.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html Reference]]. He restates that in the DVD commentary.
** If none of the magic was real, then [[spoiler: Ofelia managing to escape the captain chasing her through the holes created for her to run through in the hedge maze]] was a pretty neat trick on her part.
** This troper once saw the rather brilliant argument that clinging to the belief that it's all in Ofelia's head ''even though we explicitly see supernatural events like the labyrinth changing shape take place'' is simply privileging the supposedly "unbiased" view of the grown man who's a murdering fascist, over the view of the brave, intelligent girl. YouBastard. In essence, he's the one losing touch with reality, not her, because he denies the reality of what's in front of him.

* When Captain Vidal is introduced and greets Ofelia and her mother, he does so with "Bienvenidos," the Spanish word for "Welcome" for both all-male and mixed-gender company. Since Ofelia's mother is pregnant, Vidal is including his unborn son's presence along (or even over) the two female characters he's greeting.

* When Captain Vidal is introduced and greets Ofelia and her mother, there is a very subtle character-revealing clue in his dialogue that can be missed if you don't know Spanish or watch the film with English subtitles. Vidal greets them with "Bienvenidos," the Spanish word for "Welcome," but what can be lost on English Speakers is that there are four forms of saying welcome in Spanish--singular masculine (bienvenido) and feminine (bienvenida), and plural masculine (bienvenidos) and feminine (bienvenidas). It may seem like Vidal is making a grammatical mistake greeting Ofelia and her mother with the masculine plural as opposed to the feminine plural of "bienvenido," but Del Torro is using his native language's grammar rule for a reason--while a female-only company should be greeted with "bienvenidas," the masculine plural can be used for both all-male and mixed-gender company as well! Remember, Ofelia's mother is pregnant, and who is Vidal including with his greeting? His unborn son! By having Vidal greet Ofelia and her mother with "bienvenidos" instead of "bienvenidas," Del Torro reveals Vidal's misogyny by including his unborn son's presence along (or even over) the two female characters he's greeting.

*** Yes, God forbid any folklore have a conception of the Underworld that isn't HijackedByJesus. Sorry, but that trope really [[ItJustBugsMe annoys me]].

*** Actually, it does take place in Asturias, and [[ItJustBugsMe I need to correct your wrongness for the sake of my pride]].

* The ending of ''Pan's Labyrinth'' is fairytale cheesy unless you accept the theory that the girl was [[spoiler: hallucinating the entire time to escape from reality and no magical kingdom was waiting for her]].

* The ending of ''Pan's Labyrinth'' is fairytale cheesy unless you accept the theory that the girl was [[spoiler: hallucinating the entire time to escape from reality and no magical kingdom was waiting for her]]. --Pak

** Or, conversely, it's GRIMDARK nihilistic unless you accept the girl went through [[spoiler: meaningful, genuine trials and found magic and meaning even in the horribleness of war, without surrendering to either evil or insanity]]. Interestingly, the film sets it up so that this is actually more plausible by the standards of Occam's Razor than the alternative; without it, she [[spoiler:inexplicably teleports twice]] and [[spoiler:the final shot of the flower blooming doesn't have an explanation either, since no one is around to hallucinate it]]. --@/{{Haven}}
*** Okay, in this troper's opinion, it was less a hallucination than a trauma-triggered fantasy perception of Ofelia. All of it. One can clearly see how the events involving the magic beings are triggered/dependent on the real-life happenings. And, for that matter, this troper ''believes'' to have figured out, how [[spoiler:she escaped the room in the end]].
*** May be a tiny bit WildMassGuessing, but although we do know that [[spoiler: her door was guarded, the guard may have either gone by the time Ofelia exited, or he went to take a look at the commotion down at in the courtyard (the two survivors of a patrol had made it back to their HQ at the mill.) Now, if it was really fully locked is another thought. Just because Vidal ordered the door to be locked, it doesn't mean that the guard actually did it [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy (he may not have found it necessary.)]] Either that or Vidal actually only bluffed. In fact, as Vidal catches Ofelia with her baby brother in his study, he does not seem very confused why she isn't locked in her room. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He looks rather annoyed, in fact]]. Anyway, as Ofelia, her brother and Captain Vidal escape the mill, the Guerrillas (led by Mercedes) [[YouAreTooLate are seen entering Ofelia's bedroom, only to find it abandoned]]. Although the audience can catch a glimpse of Mercedes pushing open the door, one cannot definitely say whether it had been locked or not. It probably wasn't, or else the Guerrillas would have had to kick it in.]] --Jeezer

*** There's a ''huge'' swath of mythology that calls TheOtherworld "the Underworld" in the literal sense of "a magical realm deep within the earth," without the Christian connotation of "Hell." The concept is either OlderThanDirt or at least OlderThanPrint, so [[{{Tropers/Sharysa}} this troper]] just assumed that del Toro [[{{Mythopoeia}} made it up himself]].

*** Is that so? This Troper recalls reading that Creator/GuillermoDelToro never gave a definite answer precisely because it is left up to the viewer to decide even though he tends to hint it was real. Personally, I believe that it was all a tragic hallucination but, either way, limiting the possibilities would be a huge mistake and Del Toro knew that.

** This troper once saw the rather fantastic argument that clinging to the belief that it's all in Ofelia's head ''even though we explicitly see supernatural events like the labyrinth changing shape take place'' is simply privileging the supposedly "unbiased" view of the grown man who's a murdering fascist, over the view of the brave, intelligent girl. YouBastard. In essence, he's the one losing touch with reality, not her, because he denies the reality of what's in front of him.

*** In addition to CelticMythology, there's a ''huge'' swath of mythology that calls TheOtherworld "the Underworld" in the literal sense of "a magical realm deep within the earth," without the Christian connotation of "Hell." The concept is either OlderThanDirt or at least OlderThanPrint, so [[{{Tropers/Sharysa}} this troper]] just assumed that del Toro [[{{Mythopoeia}} made it up himself]].

*** In addition to CelticMythology, there's a ''huge'' swath of mythology that calls TheOtherworld "the Underworld" in the literal sense of "a magical realm deep within the earth," without the Christian connotation of "Hell." The concept is either OlderThanDirt or at least OlderThanPrint, so [[{{Tropers/Sharysa}} this troper]] just assumed that del Toro [[{{Mythopoeia}} made it up for the movie]].

*** In addition to CelticMythology, there's a ''huge'' swath of mythology that calls other realms "the Underworld" in the literal sense of "a MagicalRealm deep within the earth" without the Christian connotation of "Hell." The concept is either OlderThanDirt or at least OlderThanPrint, so [[{{Tropers/Sharysa}} this troper]] just assumed that del Toro [[{{Mythopoeia}} made it up for the story]].

* A lot of what happens to Mercedes mirrors Ofelia's trials. Ofelia stealing the key from the toad's belly mirrors Mercedes stealing the key to the storehouse from Vidal so she can get what she needs stealthily. Mercedes wanting to take Ofelia away mirrors Ofelia wanting to take her brother away. In the end, [[spoiler: Mercedes is left holding Ofelia's brother]]. What if everything Ofelia goes through is just [[spoiler: Mercedes' telling the baby a bedtime story? She would be immortalizing the girl she loved so much by putting her into other well-loved stories]].
** The last part was most likely {{Jossed}}: See the link above. Nothing says Mercedes wouldn't [[spoilers: tell the little brother awesome stories of his PluckyGirl of an older sister, though]].

* The ending of ''Pan's Labyrinth'' is fairytale cheesy unless you accept [[spoiler:the girl was hallucinating the entire time to escape from reality and no magical kingdom was waiting for her]]. --Pak

** Or, conversely, it's GRIMDARK nihilistic unless you accept [[spoiler:the girl went through meaningful, genuine trials and found magic and meaning even in the horribleness of war, without surrendering to either evil or insanity]]. Interestingly, the film sets it up so that this is actually more plausible by the standards of Occam's Razor than the alternative; without it, she [[spoiler:inexplicably teleports twice]] and [[spoiler:the final shot of the flower blooming doesn't have an explanation either, since no one is around to hallucinate it]]. --@/{{Haven}}

**** [[spoiler:May be a tiny bit WildMassGuessing, but although we do know that her door was guarded, the guard may have either gone by the time Ofelia exited, or he went to take a look at the commotion down at in the courtyard (the two survivors of a patrol had made it back to their HQ at the mill.) Now, if it was really fully locked is another thought. Just because Vidal ordered the door to be locked, it doesn't mean that the guard actually did it [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy (he may not have found it necessary.)]] Either that or Vidal actually only bluffed. In fact, as Vidal catches Ofelia with her baby brother in his study, he does not seem very confused why she isn't locked in her room. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He looks rather annoyed, in fact]]. Anyway, as Ofelia, her brother and Captain Vidal escape the mill, the Guerrillas (led by Mercedes) [[YouAreTooLate are seen entering Ofelia's bedroom, only to find it abandoned]]. Although the audience can catch a glimpse of Mercedes pushing open the door, one cannot define, whether it has been locked or not. It probably wasn't, or else the Guerrillas would have had to kick it in.]] --Jeezer

* Everyone says that Ofelia holds the IdiotBall when she eats the food set out at the Pale Man's table. How hard is it to resist the food that belongs to Mr. NightmareFuel when you ''know darn well'' the consequence of eating food of the Underworld! But... Is Ofelia really that much more oblivious than her mother? Her mother who marries Captain Vidal, allows herself to be dominated by him body and soul, and must know how cruel he is, but is blinded by the wealth, comfort, and prestige that he offers. "Look at the beautiful clothes your father gave to us!"

* I think everyone's forgetting something: The... Baby root thing that the Faun gives Ofelia to cure her mother (the thing that's put in milk and has to be given blood everyday.) Both Vidal and Ofelia's mother saw and could touch it.
** But also only Ofelia sees it move and hears its pained screams during the fireplace scene.

* Captain Vidal has been haunted all his life by his father's death, thanks to the memento of his broken watch. This must be why he wants a son so badly, so he can be a father to his boy like his own father never was. [[TroubledAbuser That makes him such a monster, the fact he has a very credible and very human backstory but still commits all these acts of evil.]]
** Not to mention, this human backstory makes him ''scarier'' -- it means that ''anyone'' can potentially turn out to be like him, if the right circumstances ever take place.
* A lot of what happens to Mercedes mirrors Ofelia's trials. Stealing the key from the toad's belly mirrors Mercedes stealing the key to the storehouse from Vidal, using the key to get what she needs stealthily, wanting to take Ofelia away mirrors Ofelia wanting to take her brother away.) At the end, Mercedes is left with Ofelia's brother; what if everything Ofelia goes through is just Mercedes' telling the baby a bedtime story? She's immortalizing the girl she loved so much by putting her into the stories she loved so much.
** The last part was most likely {{Jossed}}: See the link above. Nothing says Mercedes wouldn't tell the little brother awesome stories of his PluckyGirl of an older sister, though.

** Actually Del Toro states that the film is designed to match the belief of the user, but that his personal vision for the movie was that it was all real. [[http://twitchfilm.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html Reference]].

** Vidal [[PragmaticVillain isn't stupid enough]] to do things ForTheEvulz. He seemed content [[ParentalNeglect to just ignore Ofelia]] until she started causing trouble, so I doubt he'd just kill off any daughters he had for the crime of not being male.

** I realised after a few viewings that it's even more brilliant, because there's a third kind of ending -- that the faun and everything had been real, but he wasn't lying about abandoning her, and only the ending was a hallucination. Which opens up a whole new subtext to the rest of the movie. Her kingdom is called The Underworld, she has to sacrifice a baby to get in, refusing to do so makes her unworthy to get in, and frankly, that faun just isn't a very convincing good guy. Hell much? --Whatever

* I think everyone's forgetting something: The... Baby root thing that the faun gives Ofelia to cure her mother (the thing that's put in milk and has to be given blood everyday.) Both Vidal and Ofelia's mother saw and could touch it.

* When Ofelia asks the faun why she ought to trust him, his reassurances aren't all that convincing. [[spoiler:This may have been intentional. If she ''had'' trusted him, the SecretTestOfCharacter might not have been applicable]].
* The faun's final test to kill her brother and open the door, [[spoiler:which is in reality the SecretTestOfCharacter,]] is hinted at by Dr. Ferraro's dialogue during his CMOA. [[spoiler:"Because to obey orders just like that, for the sake of obeying... That is something that '''only people like you do''', Captain."]]

* The ending of ''Pan's Labyrinth'' is fairytale cheesy unless you accept [[spoiler:the girl was hallucinating the entire time to escape from reality and no magical kingdom was waiting for her.]] -- Pak
** So then, one is left to wonder [[spoiler: how far back the hallucination goes. If only the "magical" parts of the movie were hallucinations, and the rest were real, then how did Ofelia escape from the room she was locked in and steal away her brother?]] Having the ending be deliberately ambiguous so the audience could choose which type of ending they liked was a stroke of genius, to be sure.--Amethyst
** Or, conversely, it's GRIMDARK nihilistic unless you accept [[spoiler:the girl went through meaningful, genuine trials and found magic and meaning even in the horribleness of war, without surrendering to either evil or insanity]]. Interestingly, the film sets it up so that this is actually more plausible by the standards of Occam's Razor than the alternative; without it, she [[spoiler:inexplicably teleports twice]] and [[spoiler:the final shot of the flower blooming doesn't have an explanation either, since no one is around to hallucinate it]]. -- {{Haven}}
*** Okay, in this troper's opinion, it was less a hallucination than a trauma-triggered fantasy perception of Ofelia. All of it. One can clearly see how the events involving the magic beings are triggered/dependent on the real-life happenings. And, for that matter, this troper ''believes'' to have figured out, how [[spoiler:she escaped the room in the end.]]
**** [[spoiler:May be a tiny bit WildMassGuessing, but although we do know that her door was guarded, the guard may have either gone by the time Ofelia exited, or he went to take a look at the commotion down at in the courtyard (the two survivors of a patrol had made it back to their HQ at the mill). Now, if it was really fully locked is another thought. Just because Vidal ordered the door to be locked, it doesn't mean that the guard actually did it [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy (he may not have found it necessary)]]. Either that or Vidal actually only bluffed. In fact, as Vidal catches Ofelia with her baby brother in his study, he does not seem very confused why she isn't locked in her room. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He looks rather annoyed, in fact]]. Anyway, as Ofelia, her brother and Capitano Vidal escape the mill, the Guerillas (led by Mercedes) [[YouAreTooLate are seen entering Ofelia's bedroom, only to find it abandoned]]. Although the audience can catch a glimpse of Mercedes pushing open the door, one cannot define, whether it has been locked or not. It probably wasn't, or else the Guerrillas would have had to kick it in.]] --Jeezer
** I realised after a few viewings that it's even more brilliant, because there's a third kind of ending - that the faun and everything had been real, but he wasn't lying about abandoning her, and only the ending was a hallucination. Which opens up a whole new subtext to the rest of the movie. Her kingdom is called The Underworld, she has to sacrifice a baby to get in, refusing to do so makes her unworthy to get in, and frankly, that faun just isn't a very convincing good guy. Hell much? -Whatever

*** I have never heard those tales about the moon around here. As far as I know, the film takes place in Galicia, or at least in north Spain (and the mythologies have many points in common). In Galician mythology, there are two worlds: the one above ground, our realm, and the realm of the dead that also is the realm where mouras (like the Irish sidhe), so it's actually possible that Ofelia died but still managed to return. Also, being dead doesn't mean that you can no longer walk the world of the living.

*** Saywhat? Only if you believe that [[spoiler:communism is about grey jumpsuits and nothing much changing, which would have been a surprise to the anti-Stalinist Trotskyist movement. The communists and anarchists of the Spanish Civil War, who decked out the streets with flags and partied like it was 1999 after the Revolution, might be a bit surprised by this.]]

*** Is that so? This Troper recalls reading that Del Toro never gave a definite answer precisely because it is left up to the viewer to decide even though he tends to hint it was real. Personally, I believe that it was all a tragic hallucination but, either way, limiting the possibilities would be a huge mistake and Del Toro knew that.
** I feel that it would be "cheesy" if it all was a hallucination and confirmed as such. It would suck all the genuine beauty and magic out of the film and reduce if to a boring run of the mill plot where people were too cowardly to ascribe something to magic. Not magic as in the standard American hock, but genuine magic, scary and overwhelming.The brilliance is leaving how she got out open to interpretation. Open to the hope, that it was magic.
*** It comes full circle, the movie makes a message about the lack of magic and believing, it seems in modern times the discussing of art has lots a lot of it's magic. Where instead of people being able state why they come to conclusions, people are more concerned with finding the author's right and arguing with anyone that disagrees or hating on the fact answer if it's not what they wanted.
*** There's a quote of Dumbledore's that seems quite appropriate here. Something like "Of course it was all in your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean it wasn't real?"
** Actually Del Toro states that the film is designed to match the belief of the user, but that his personal vision for the movie was that it was all real. Reference: http://twitchfilm.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html

* Everyone says that Ofelia holds the IdiotBall when she eats the foot set out at the Pale Man's table. How hard is it to resist the food that belongs to Mr. NightmareFuel when you ''know darn well'' the consequence of eating food of the Underworld! But... is Ofelia really that much more oblivious than her mother? Her mother who marries Captain Vidal, allows herself to be dominated by him body and soul, and must know how cruel he is, but is blinded by the wealth, comfort, and prestige that he offers. "Look at the beautiful clothes your father gave to us!"
** As del Toro stated himself in the DVD commentary, she hasn't eaten in what, a day? Two? Or maybe it was just skipping 2 meals (I forget his exact words). Either way, she hasn't eaten in a long time. Hunger makes you do crazy things.

** In a way, the juxtaposition of the Pale Man's table with the scene of frightened townspeople lining up to take the only food they could probably get, rations doled out by the Fascists, has some significance. Ofelia's mother is not to blame for seeking a way out of a dangerous situation and possible destitution; monsters manipulating hungry people with the promise of being well-provided for is hardly rare.
*** Not to mention, while I want to believe the OP didn't mean it, their words come off as [[UnfortunateImplications victim-blamey and rahter... offensive]] in regards to DomesticAbuse. Put yourself in Carmen's shoes - a single mother who's [[UnequalPairing in an incredibly disadvantaged situation]] (war, destitution, illness, etc.) is surely [[TooDumbToLive going to openly rebel against a brute like Vidal]], who could easily hurt her. (Not likely ''kill'' her, since he needs to have a son and heir badly.) And yet the OP says Carmen "allows herself to be dominated in mind and soul" and "is blinded by his wealth, prestige and comfort"? Uh, nope, things aren't that easy - Carmen was trying to cope with her and Ofelia's damn harsh situation, and definitely couldn't "fight back". One thing is a "weak female character" who has next to no agency/motivations/etc., and another is a "powerless female character" who is in a terrible situation and either cannot strike back or hasn't found out how... like Carmen. (Ofelia does her best to handle self more actively, [[spoiler: even if trying to retrieve her brother gets her shot to death -- but then Mercedes finishes the job. ''Magnificently''.]])
* I think everyone's forgetting something: the... baby root thing that the faun gives Ofelia to cure her mother (the thing that's put in milk and has to be given blood everyday). Both Vidal and Ofelia's mother saw and could touch it.

** So...how ''does'' a small girl get a hold of a whole mandrake in a remote outpost during a civil war? [[SarcasmMode Ebay?]]
* When the narrator talks, notice that the story refers to the heroine as "the Princess." There's the detail that the narrator ''never says the Princess and Ofelia were the same person.'' Taking that into account, one can argue that it wasn't real.
* When Ofelia asks the faun why she ought to trust him, his reassurances aren't all that convincing. [[spoiler:This may have been intentional. If she ''had'' trusted him, the SecretTestOfCharacter might not have been applicable.]]
* The faun's final test to kill her brother and open the door, [[spoiler: which is in reality the SecretTestOfCharacter,]] is hinted at by Dr. Ferraro's dialogue during his CMOA. [[spoiler: "Because to obey orders just like that, for the sake of obeying... that is something that '''only people like you do''', Captain."]]

** The last part was most likely {{Jossed}}: see the link above. Nothing says Mercedes wouldn't tell the little brother awesome stories of his PluckyGirl of an older sister, thought.

** Vidal [[PragmaticVillain isn't stupid enough]] to do things ForTheEvulz. He seemed content [[ParentalNeglect to just ignore Ofelia]] until she started causing trouble, so I doubt he'd just kill off any daughters he had for the crime of not being male.
* According to legend, the screams of a mandrake root will bring death to anyone who hears it. [[spoiler:Ophelia and Carmen were in earshot of the mandrake root's death throes (the latter having chucked it into a fire), and they very likely died over the course of the film.]]

**** Actually, it does take part in Asturias, and [[ItJustBugsMe I need to correct your wrongness for the sake of my pride]].

** Vidal might be a CompleteMonster, but [[PragmaticVillain he]] isn't stupid enough to do things ForTheEvulz. He seemed content [[ParentalNeglect to just ignore Ofelia]] until she started causing trouble, so I doubt he'd just kill off any daughters he had for the crime of not being male.

*** Not to mention, the OP's words come off as [[UnfortunateImplications victim-blamey and offensive towards abuse victims]]. Yeah, a single mother who's [[UnequalPairing in an incredibly disadvantaged situation]] (war, destitution, illness, etc.) is surely [[TooDumbToLive going to openly rebel against a brute like Vidal]], who could easily hurt her. (Not likely ''kill'' her, since he needs to have a son and heir badly.) And yet the OP says Carmen "allows herself to be dominated in mind and soul" and "is blinded by his wealth, prestige and comfort"? Uh, nope, things aren't that easy - Carmen was trying to cope with her and Ofelia's damn harsh situation.

* Captain Vidal has been haunted all his life by his father's death, thanks to the memento of his broken watch. This must be why he wants a son so badly, so he can be a father to his boy like his own father never was. That makes him such a monster, the fact he has a very credible and very human backstory but still commits all these acts of evil.

** Given the line to the doctor about saving the "son" if it comes down to a choice between the mother and child, I don't think he would have had her killed, but probably would have handed her off to a nanny with the intention of shipping her to a boarding school (preferably overseas) when she was old enough. He then would have remarried as soon as possible to try again at getting a son. Also, I get the feeling he would have no problem cheating on his wife but would want his son to be "legitimate."
** Vidal might be a CompleteMonster, but he doesn't do things ForTheEvulz. He seemed content to just ignore Ofelia until she started causing trouble, so I doubt he'd just kill off any daughters he had for the crime of not being male.
* According to legend, the screams of a mandrake root will bring death to anyone who hears it. [[spoiler:Ophelia and her mother were in earshot of the mandrake root's death throes (the latter having chucked it into a fire), and died over the course of the film.]]

For FridgeLogic entries, see Headscratchers/PansLabyrinth.

* According to legend, the screams of a mandrake root will bring death to anyone who hears it. [[spoiler:Ophelia and her mother were in earshot of its death throes (the latter having chucked it into a fire), and died over the course of the film.]]