[Possible Spoilers]
Is the fantasy world in "Pan's Labyrinth" real or is it imagined by Ofelia?
You can argue both sides. But maybe it's somewhere in the middle.
Maybe Ofelia was having paranormal, psychic experiences that were leading her to her fate. These other-worldly creatures, whether spirits, demons, or visions, took the form of fantastical creatures in Ofelia's mind, because that's what she was accustomed to from the books she read. Some things just had to happen in order for history to run its course and for everything to be right with the world. And she was a tool in that chain of events. Those entities or visions lead her to the inevitable.
I really related to her. Ofelia has this fantasy world which really contrasts with the cold, cruel reality. In spite of all the darkness and horror she witnesses, she wasn't really phased as much because she always had hope in the world she created for herself. In a time and a place where there is no technology and nothing to do to other than to endure the misery and monotony of her surroundings, she found sanity in her lack thereof. Even when she died she escaped to a beautiful fantastical kingdom where she was a princess reunited with her family.
This might not make sense, but I believe that the afterlife, what happens after people's death, is whatever they believe will happen to them.
I can relate to Ofelia because I'm the same way. While in the back of my head I am a skeptic and I know the world is made up of cruelty and monotony, I try to suppress those thoughts. Instead I make up my own reality and I make up my own world. I believe in things because they just are far more interesting to believe in than what's already there. I imbue everyday thoughts, objects, and events with life and make them real. I rearrange events and objects in my mind so that they have a far greater function and purpose than what they are really meant for. Sometimes, you can align things in such a way that it really feels as if you have this great purpose, like you are part of something, almost as if it were fate. I think that if you really believe in something so much, it eventually becomes true. You begin to filter everything that goes on through this reality you created for yourself, and everything falls into place. Ofelia's world wasn't necessarily a Utopian fantasy, it did include monsters, deceit, and such. Similarly, I like to revel in my paranoid and persecutory delusions.
It's funny to see things in an infinite number of different perspectives, to think "outside the box," then just look at everyone trapped in this reality they think they have no control over, and just smile complacently, because you have this knowledge that no one else has. People don't seem to realize that they have more control over their reality than they think they do. They just drudge along in their monotony, living life like a robot. I do find our mechanical [post]modernity/monotony to be beautiful in it's intricate, systematic, bureaucratic, imperfect perfection. But to appreciate this, you do have to step outside of it so you can see the full picture and how everything perfectly aligns and works together. I can step in and out of my reality and the world's collective reality whenever I want. But when I go back into "the real world," I can do so cognizant of how ridiculous/inferior it really is [at least in comparison to mine].
I did notice that eyes were a recurring theme in the movie. Ofelia had her own special, unique way of looking at the world through her eyes, while I have my own way of looking at things through my eyes.
So open your eyes, to your own reality.
P.S. It's really hard to make sense out of nonsense. It's hard to explain or even understand myself sometimes. Sometimes something "clicks" and it makes perfect sense, but I just can't put it into words and the more I try to explain it, the less sense it makes.
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