Meaning and Response I: Representation in Pan's Labyrinth and City of God

Gender - Mercedes love of children (Ofelia and her baby brother) suggests a feminine tenderness (a contrast to masculine violence and brutality) - this is in contrast to the rpresentation of Ofelia's mother as weak and dismissive - it is Mercedes that Ofelia ultimately turns to....

Age - the film's protaganist is a young girl - much of the narrative is seen through her eyes or experienced by her. The film celebarates the young's belief in fantasy, a means of escaping the harsh realities of the real world and the horros of issues such as war and family problems...