Pan’s Labyrinth is a parable of white privilege and represents the “institutional evil” of the West, its director has claimed.
Guillermo del Toro said the Pale Man character from the movie, a child-eating monster with eyes embedded in its hands, is a stand-in for white men.
In messages posted on Twitter Thursday night, he said: “The Pale Man represents all institutional evil feeding on the helpless. It’s not accidental that he is a) Pale b) a Man. He’s thriving now.”
Del Toro, who also directed Hellboy and Pacific Rim, added: “These are Pale Man times”.
Given that most of his other tweets refer to Donald Trump, it is no mystery to whom he might be referring.
@RealGDT These are Pale Man times.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) February 2, 2017
Pan’s Labyrinth, a fantasy set during the Spanish Civil War, follows the adventures of a young girl as partisan fighters close in on a rural military outpost run by the film’s other symbol of the evil white male – her fascist stepfather Captain Vidal.
In the scene featuring the Pale Man, Ofelia is told not to eat from a banquet at which the slumbering creature is sat.
When she does, it awakes, and devours two of her fairy companions before while she flees. A background of frescos show him eating young children, and a dusty pile of discarded children’s shoes by the side of the table.
Some Twitter users contested Del Toro’s supposed inspiration for the Pale Man, citing his own DVD commentary. One said: “You mentioned the pale man was ultimately inspired by your loose skin”, to which the filmmaker replied “visually, yes – but I regained the weight!”
Later, Del Toro sought to clarify that his earlier statements didn’t apply to all white men, which he admitted would have to include himself.
“Read what I write: ‘institutional’. I am fat and pale as fuck but I don’t dictate or oppress. Those in power often do.”
