Pans Labrynth

[year_x]

I can't decide if it was a really good film, or completely pointless. On th one hand, the narrative was gritty and engaging. It really was powerful stuff at times, and the emotional punch was backed up with quality visuals. However, I always find it hard to enjoy films which lack moral cohesion. And in this one someone is judged as 'innocent' after

Comments

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

1. but it was her fault. The whole scene just annoyed me, in that not only did she go against the fauns advice, but he specifically said "don't eat the food". that kind of willful stupidity lead to the fairies deaths, so I blame her. She was not an innocent. Also, by her inability to pay attention to those around her, she caused untold grief for her (albeit not very nice) mother.

2. In fairytales its a different type of darkness though. a childish darkness. Whereas this was very adult darkness. I'm not a literature student, so can't explain it in a concise way. It just seemed to play different ideas of what is dark off against each other, which to me felt quite disturbing

3. I couldn't believe that the magic was real, and so felt that there was no 'final victory'. They didn't present a case for the magic being real enough. Apart from her, it affected no-one else apart from a way that couldn't be easily explained away. I didn't think it let us decide if the magic was real or not.

4. Maybe I'm just sensitive :D It just found the juxaposition between childish hopes and adult despair to be quite disturbing on a deep level. Also the style annoyed me in the way that Tim Burton films annoy me, when Gothic cuteness is used where real beauty could be. But that is just a personal aestheic judgement. Gothic decadent overwrought cutesy revivalist pastiche playing on a false sense of nostalgia.

5. Yeah, she shoulda stabbed it while she had the chance. I actually found her character really annoying. Although all the way through the film people made stupid choices. Like the commie collaborator woman not killing the dude while she had the chance and only wounding him. In fact, the only person I ended up with any respect for was the General/Captain guy, cos he stuck to his moral code when challenged, and met his fate. Course, he was a pile of shite otherwise!

6. As I said, by the end, the magic hadn't been shown to be real. They tried to make it seem as if it might be either case. But in the end there was no occasion where it could have been magic and not just her escapism. Which was a real shame. I didn't want the magic to be obvious, but it was so underplayed in its affects on people other than the girl that I couldnt believe

7.I disliked the politicising of the story. The whole 'fascists bad, commies good' thing. Yeah, fascists are bad, but a commie regime isnt always good. I'm a naturally left-leaning individual, but it annoyed me that the rebels were shown in quite such a thoroughly positive way.

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

6. because it left me with no hope. Throughout it seems as though she may escape this horrible situation. But no, her only escape is in her head, and ultimately, through death. Thats quite a hopeless picture. I'm not sure why it hit me so hard, but it did. I suppose I felt it to be unfair after all that, no one wins anything. Nothing positive comes out of it.

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

yeah. I suppose the despair I felt with the 'real' storyline was just compounded with the futility of the end. No escape, except in our heads and in death. Seems very bleak to me

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

I personally think so as well, but only if you are happy with that as an escape, and arn't fooling yourself. Which I think she was. so her lack of a final victory was just the final straw of a depressing film.

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

you could see it that way. I suppose then the end of the film is defined by who we are relating to. I didn't like her, or have much sympathy with her side of the story. So I related more to the commies/fascists side of things and felt her to have ultimately been decieved and forsaken by her imaginary world (which there was not enough evidence to suggest existed).

However, if you went with the girl on this one, the magic didn't have to be real for her to have 'won'

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

8. I didn't seriously dislike the mother, and she was in a difficult position. I just thought that she was unwise with her decisions. But I know that she probably didn't have many choices. Also, she was weak and let her child suffer for that.
Not a massively unlikable character, but not nice all the same

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

Yeah, like I say, not a real criticsm. Just that she was a bit irrational/cowardly at times

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

lol.

Re: just saw it tonight :)

[year_x]

1. Thats a huge debate: where does childhood innocence stop being acceptable. I am coloured in the way that she just really annoyed me generally. But I think that she knew enough, and should have obeyed the faun. Also, the scene was maybe a bit clumsy in the way it had her making the mistake, so made her seem to be just wilful in her irresponsibility, instead of it being a mistake.

2. The non-magic bits were very realistic. The magic bits were very fantasy, with the corresponding codes of behavior and 'suspension of belief' needing applying to both. Their mixing made the realism seem that much more extreme in comparison with the fantasy elements.

3. Those are the instances I'd say could have been explained far too easily. the mandrake element, in both instances (making her mother better, and making her worse when thrown into the fire) are explained by other actions in the film (the doctor treating her and the stress of the situation respectively). The hole in the wall, granted, I can't explain. But its the only one in a movie which is apparently all about a fantasy world.
The doctor should have seen the mandrake in the fire all wriggling and that. Something like that.

4. I meant the fantasy elements were cutesy and Gothic. which was probably the right way to show them. But the style gets on my nerves. like I say, that is a purely personal judgement.
Also, I agree its a good idea to compare fantasy and real life. Its an interesting theme/device. But i thought it was done in a clumsy way that missed a lot of tricks. The real victory in the film was the storyline being, for me, gripping and moving with a lot of suspense.