In 1944, in the Navarra Mountains of northern Spain, a guerrilla group was still fighting for freedom and democracy and Franco's dictatorship. Captain Vidal was in charge of the task of encircling and suppressing the guerrillas. At this time, he took his soon-to-be-born wife Carmen and stepdaughter Ophelia to the army camp, where he was ready to welcome the birth of his son. At this time, Ophelia accepted Pan's three tasks. As long as she completed it before the full moon night, she could restore her identity as the princess of the underground kingdom. Pan's labyrinth showed the audience a fantastic beginning. , this should be a fairy tale full of wonderful adventures, mischievous humor, and a happy ending. But by the end of the film, Ophelia on the full moon night was lying on the edge of the well, panting convulsively, the blood dripping down her hand to the bottom of the dry well, but my mouth froze. I'm not sure what the ending is, maybe Ophelia saved herself and became the princess of the underground kingdom, or maybe the so-called underground kingdom and Pan God are just her wishful fantasies. Although the ending of this story is not so certain. But the process is absolutely oppressive and dark, even cruel. From the maze full of Goya's black style, the gloomy and damp labyrinth, to the pale man with Lamia as the prototype, as well as the nose smashed by the wine bottle and the mouth opened by the knife, everywhere conveys the inappropriateness of children. message. Paine's Labyrinth examines the intersection of the real world and the children's world with a cruel perspective. Telling fairy tales in a subversive way. This film should be named after a bloody fairy tale or a poetic nightmare.
The whole film is not only dark in style, but also full of metaphors. Ophelia constantly shuttles between reality and fantasy in the film, and her fantasy world and reality correspond to each other. The first task is to remove the toads that live in the roots of the fig tree, and find the key from the toad's belly to make the figs flourish again. At the same time, Captain Vidal collected all the supplies from the villages near the camp to the barracks warehouse, and was in charge of the only key to the warehouse. Here the toad symbolizes a fascist regime like the captain, the withered fig symbolizes the once fertile and fertile Spain, and the key represents the key to victory. The second task is to use the found key to go to the palace of the pale man to get the holy sword. During the task, Ophelia did not follow the instructions of the elf to open the golden door in the middle, but insisted on opening the wooden door on the left. Holy Sword, but because of his greed, disregarding Pan's prior advice, he stole the grapes from the pale man's table, which awakened the pale man and caused the two elves to die. In reality, the guerrillas used the key to open the warehouse door to get materials that could increase combat effectiveness, but due to stuttering and leaking secrets, the doctor was killed and the waitress was arrested. In this mission, the wooden door on the left represents the basis of civilians. The left-leaning revolutionary force of , and the sword represents the material force that determines the success or failure of the revolution. The leak of greed and stammering is the same, and the death of the elf and the doctor also correspond to each other. The third task is to ask Ophelia to find a way to get her brother out of the captain's hand, hold her in the labyrinth, and stab her brother with the holy sword, so that blood drips into the bottom of the well. In this mission, fantasy and reality intersect. In the end, Ophelia defied Pan's orders and traded her life for her brother's safety. In this mission, the child represents the new Spain, and the competition for the child actually represents the contest between the revolutionary forces and the Franco regime. Ophelia's sacrifice represents that the victory of the revolution needs to be exchanged for the blood of the revolution. It can be said that the whole film is both a metaphor. On the Iberian Peninsula, Spain is lost in the brutality of fascism, and the shadow of death covers the sky, neither Catalonia nor Andalusia can escape. But in the face of impassioned revolutionary forces, the dark clouds will eventually dissipate and victory will eventually come.
When the film ends, Ophelia gradually closes her eyes in the melodious singing, and flowers bloom from the withered fig tree. I think at the same time, an old man is sitting quietly in front of his house, watching people come and go with a serene expression. He has experienced major changes in human society for decades. Now he does not know what a space shuttle is. What is cloning, he has never been on the Internet, let alone what a blog is, he is just a trivial role in this ordinary world. But he loved his hometown because it was the land he fought for with his blood, and he knew how precious freedom was.
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