QUESTIONS: Prompt #1: Del Toroâs un-fairy tale ending of Panâs Labyrinth problematizes any clear-cut way to read the film. Ofelia dies, and while the narration suggests she returns to her homeland (and her royal family) after proving herself worthy, the image of Mercedes as she looks on Ofeliaâs dead body and how she reacts to El Capitanâs pleas for his baby boy still linger. Is Del Toroâs film an allegory where imagination triumphs over fascism, or a fairy tale that cannot escape the fascist reign of violence that envelops it?
Prompt #2: Is Cocteauâs film an allegory where the poetâs imagination triumphs over the humdrum of daily life, bringing new forms and energy into the world, or a dark fairy tale about domesticity, marriage, and the boundaries of love and death?