Or was it all just a dream?
The Big Picture Guillermo del Toro's brilliant film Pan's Labyrinth has a stunning, bittersweet ending that leaves viewers wondering whether Ofelia has transcended into another world or is just dead. It's a masterfully crafted finish to a dark, beautiful tale that explores the effects of trauma when combined with imagination.
Ofelia reaches the center. El Fauno is there, waiting for her. He tells her the only way to open the portal into her kingdom is to spill innocent blood. He tells her to kill her brother. Ofelia refuses. Her hesitation loses her time. Vidal appears from around the corner. He demands she hand over his son. Ofelia refuses again. He takes the child from her and shoots her. A few moments later a group of rebels overtake him. They take the child and shoot him.
The audience sees Ofelia again, standing in her castle. El Fauno assures the audience through a voiceover that the princess ruled her kingdom happily for many years with justice and compassion. Cynical viewers may say the magic was all in her head from the start. More optimistic viewers may say she was rewarded for her selfless sacrifice. The narrative is unclear, however, and that ambiguity is what makes the scene so incredibly potent.
In Pan's Labyrinth, Ofelia lives in a very dark world. Not only is she caught up in the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, but her cruel stepfather is almost as heartless towards her and her mother as he is to the enemy soldiers. He is a cruel man who sees violence as strength, while Ofelia is innocent and imaginative. She wants nothing more than to escape the harsh world she lives in and reclaim her birthright as a princess in the magical realm.
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