Maturity In Pan's Labyrinth And The Host '

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What does it mean to be a family? In the context of horror movies, this could mean anything from being biologically related to friends to even strangers working together in a time of desperate need. The monstrous qualities and elements that most horror films tend to possess also end up shining a limelight into these human relationships. In the midst of fighting against supernatural, gargantuan “things”, human nature is tested as the characters are faced with matters of life or death. And in those moments, the ones that a character can call family are revealed. In Pan’s Labyrinth and The Host, the formation of found families, whether biological or not, stems from the characters’ desire to protect the innocent upon the loss of their own innocence, …show more content…

The film is able to capture not only their disillusionment of the world around them but also their ability to step into the role of protecting rather than being protected. In Pan’s Labyrinth, Ofelia’s transition into maturity and understanding of the world was one shown on screen. At the beginning of the movie, Ofelia can be seen as a girl who believes in fairytales, constantly running away from adult supervision to follow mysteriously “magical” mazes. Her mother and most adults in the military camp condemned Ofelia’s actions and deemed them immaturity and irresponsibility. As the movie progresses, Ofelia starts to witness the horrors of the real world that her imagination can no longer mask. From her mother’s death while giving birth to the breakout of violence at the military camp, Ofelia is seen to be finally coming to terms with the grave danger she is in. Although Ofelia was driven by her desire to become the princess of the Underworld by taking her baby brother as the Faun had asked, she ended up hesitating and refused to give up her baby half-brother. Ofelia displayed newfound maturity and growth as the chase between her and Vidal through the garden

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