The context surrounding a particular film inst integral as in my personal opinion i believe that a good film like pans labyrinth should be good even without the context, that being said knowing the context of a film in every aspect gives me another layer of appreciation while experiencing it for instance during pans a key part is the Spanish civil war witch allows us to understand the fascist regime but also just understanding Del Toros cultural background as he grew up in a very religious Spanish family helps us appreciate the church imagery throughout.