History TearJerker / PansLabyrinth

* Let's be honest here - just ''thinking'' of Mercedes' [[{{Leitmotif}} hummed nursery rhyme]] is enough to get a person who's seen the movie teary-eyed. Which ties into a HarsherInHindsight - Ofelia's death scene is sad enough, but earlier in the movie, she'd ''begged'' Mercedes to take her along when she fled, which she finally did. But when trying to dissuade Ofelia, Mercedes had promised to come back for her. Now she finds the girl bleeding out, beyond all help, and all she can do to ease her passing is hum a lullaby until she dies.

* The music that plays when the poor French guy has to have his leg cut off as he braces himself squeezing Mercedes' hand is pretty sad.

* The ending is supposedly happy, with Ofelia being reunited with her real parents (the rulers of the underworld)... by ''[[ForegoneConclusion dying]]''. Mercedes holding her dead body while singing a lullaby is just icing on the tearcakes.
** Of course, it could be worse, since there's another way to interpret the ending. No one but Ofelia ever saw any of the magic, so it could be that she made the whole thing up in her head to deal with her horrible situation, and the "reuniting" is just her final, dying hallucination. But that puts the whole thing squarely in DownerEnding territory.
** WordOfGod, thank heavens, [[http://twitchfilm.net/archives/008507.html officially denies]] the "AllJustADream" interpretation, and says that ''everything'' in the film is real, including the last scene.

* The ending is supposedly happy, with Ofelia [[spoiler: being reunited with her real parents (the rulers of the underworld)... by ''[[ForegoneConclusion dying]]''. Mercedes holding her dead body while singing a lullaby is just icing on the tearcakes]].
** Of course, it could be worse, since there's another way to interpret the ending. [[spoiler:No one but Ofelia ever saw any of the magic, so it could be that she made the whole thing up in her head to deal with her horrible situation, and the "reuniting" is just her final, dying hallucination.]] But that puts the whole thing squarely in DownerEnding territory.

* Let's be honest here - just ''thinking'' of Mercedes' [[LeitMotif hummed nursery rhyme]] is enough to get a person who's seen the movie teary-eyed.
** Which ties into a HarsherInHindsight - [[spoiler: Ofelia's death scene is sad enough, but earlier in the movie, she'd ''begged'' Mercedes to take her along when she fled, which she finally did]]. But when trying to dissuade Ofelia, Mercedes had promised to come back for her. [[spoiler: Now she finds the girl bleeding out, beyond all help, and all she can do to ease her passing is hum a lullaby until she dies.]]

* The scene in which Vidal [[spoiler: beats a man to near death with a blunt object while the man's father is forced to watch, leaving him alive long enough to see his father shot down before him, and then finishing him off. And it turns out the father and son actually were only hunting rabbits, making their deaths completely unnecessary. Even with the NightmareFuel of the situation, someone witnessing a beloved family member be brutalized in such a horrific way and being powerless to stop it is absolutely heartbreaking. The father's weeping and subsequent death just puts the icing on the cake.]]
* Dr. Ferreiro's death is particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, he quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and [[TheDyingWalk then walking out]] was a quietly dignified and heart-breaking death. And ''then'' Vidal's wife dies in childbirth, and he's just killed the only other doctor.]]

* [[spoiler: Carmen's DeathByChildbirth and her funeral. Imagine how Ofelia felt all alone with only Captain Vidal for a parent.]] What she says to Ofelia [[spoiler: after she burns the mandrake]] is especially tear-inducing, since she sounds both angry and [[DespairEventHorizon hopeless]]:
-->'''Carmen:''' "Ofelia! Magic doesn't exist! Not for you, me, or anyone else!"

--> Carmen: "Ofelia! Magic doesn't exist! Not for you, me, or anyone else!"

* Dr. Ferreiro's death ia particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, he quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and [[TheDyingWalk then walking out]] was a quietly dignified and heart-breaking death. And ''then'' Vidal's wife dies in childbirth, and he's just killed the only other doctor.]]
* [[spoiler: Carmen's DeathByChildbirth and her funeral. Imagine how Ofelia felt all alone with only Captain Vidal for a parent.]]

* Dr. Ferreiro's death ia particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, He quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and [[TheDyingWalk then walking out]] was a quietly dignified and heart-breaking death.]]

* The scene in which Vidal [[spoiler: beats a man to near death with a blunt object while the man's father is forced to watch, leaving him alive long enough to see his father shot down before him, and then finishing him off. And it turns out the father and son actually were only hunting rabbits, making their deaths completely unnecessary. Even with the [[NightmareFuel]] of the situation, someone witnessing a beloved family member be brutalized in such a horrific way and being powerless to stop it is absolutely heartbreaking. The father's weeping and subsequent death just puts the icing on the cake.]]

* The music that plays when the poor French guy has to half his leg cut off as he braces himself squeezing Mercedes' hand is pretty sad.

* This troper finds Dr. Ferreiro's death particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, He quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and [[TheDyingWalk then walking out]] was a quietly dignified and heart-breaking death.]]

* This troper finds Dr. Ferreiro's death particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, He quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and then walking out was a quietly dignified and heart-breaking death.]]

** Which ties into a HarsherInHindsight - [[spoiler: Ofelia's death scene is sad enough, but earlier in the movie, she'd ''begged'' Mercedes to take her along when she fled, which she finally did]]. But when trying to dissuade Ofelia, Mercedes had promised to come back for her.

** Which ties into a HarsherInHindsight - [[spoiler: Ofelia's death scene is sad enough, but earlier in the movie, she'd ''begged'' Mercedes to take her along when she fled]]. Mercedes had promised to come back for her.

* Let's be honest here - just ''thinking'' of the [[LeitMotif hummed nursery rhyme]] is enough to get a person who's seen the movie teary-eyed.

* This troper finds Dr. Ferreiro's death particularly sobering. Especially for how understated it is. [[spoiler:After granting a mercy kill to a tortured prisoner, He quite plainly knew the captain was going to kill him. His short speech to Vidal, and then walking out was a dignified and heart-breaking death.]]

* Let's be honest here - just hearing the {{leitmotif}} of the hummed nursery rhyme is enough to get a person who's seen the movie teary-eyed.