The way that Pan's Labyrinth said your compassion and selflessness matter even if you never stood a chance, even if they are but a spec in a barbaric and lonesome world. A story about somebody small and powerless and doomed from the beginning, who dies inevitably but dies loved. The ending could have easily been framed in a bleak and grimdark way but instead, the movie fades on a hopeful note. Because Ofelia represents the very idea of defying cruelty, an idea which survives her
The way Ofelias sacrifice of her escape for the sake of her brother feels like it mattered regardless of your interpretation of the film. Whether the Faun was real or not, whether he was a threat or not, the love she had for her brother mattered, purely because it was there. Perhaps because to love and be loved is in itself a precious, if not the only true, reward for the perils of life
The way that the lullaby represents the link between innocent goodness and conscious goodness after innocence has long been lost. Mercedes does not recall the words to the song, but she has retained the melody. She can no longer believe in miracles the way Ofelia does, but she understands the way Ofelia feels out of place as a dreamer and an idealist. You have to be at least a little of both in order to stand up to evil, whether because those traits have not yet been crushed in you or because you have painstakingly reclaimed them in spite of your suffering
baratheonpilled
prguitarman
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
turnnoffyourmind
