file under: nothing changes

had i made any kind of resolution a few nights ago, it most likely would have been about being more diligent in my daily life. i therefore would have opted to do the more responsible thing today (ie, clean house, stock up on groceries and cook at home) rather than what we actually did (ie, eat brunch out, catch the early showing of pan's labyrinth in the VIP theater, buy CD's and DVD's, and eventually order spring rolls for dinner - the har gow was excellent, by the way, as was the thai spicy eggplant with tiger shrimps).

we had heard such good things about the movie, i think both N and i were a little underwhelmed. in particular, i couldn't quite figure out why the film opens by telling us the year is 1944 when the spanish civil war was over by 1939 and the spanish did not officially enter into WWII at all (technically speaking, although they allowed nazi germany certain privileges not extended to the allies).

i don't get why that year was specified at all. wouldn't an earlier year have made more sense if the background of civil resistance was so crucial? is there something about 1944 in spain that i'm not aware of, because my understanding is that any real struggle against franco was over and done with before the 40's even began....

or did i hallucinate the year everything takes place? did it really say "1934" on the opening screen? and if so, is the optimistic high note the film ends on merely a wishful "fairy tale" to ward off the persistance of the franco regime, which continued well into the 70's?

much like that other movie involving spaniards (which also, incidentally, features a newborn male child pointedly symbolizing the beginnings of a new world), the intentions of the director aren't as clear as it might initially appear.