Ryan McNeil
What is it about traveling that shakes us so thoroughly out of ourselves? We step off a plane, get baptized in the sunshine of another land, and all of a sudden we become totally different people than who we are back home. Sometimes it leads to dangerous decisions. Sometimes it leads to normally unattainable joi de vivre. But sometimes, as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA shows us, it can lead to passion. Hot, exotic, passion.
We begin with a pair of American friends named, as expected Vicky and Cristina (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson). They have arrived in Spain to stay with Vicky’s family friends for a two month getaway. Their hosts Judy and Mark (Patricia Clarkson and Kevin Dunn), put them up in a rather spacious villa and try to give them as much local flavour as they can find. One such moment of culture – an art gallery opening – taps the first domino and creates what will be a truly passionate summer.
It’s at this opening that Vicky and Cristina first see local artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem, who seems all-too-happy to no longer be sporting his Coen Brothers hair). Later that night when the girls are at dinner, Juan Antonio comes to introduce himself, and being the enchanting soul that he is, propositions them within moments. Christina, the restless insatiable soul is intrigued. Vicky, the grounded and practical – and likewise engaged to be married – is not. Still, Juan Antonio is a charmer, and before you know it, the three have gone to the town of Oviedo for a weekend getaway.
When Cristina falls ill and is forced to bed-rest her way through the weekend, Vicky and Juan Antonio try to make the best of things. He gives her a taste of his world; the flavours, friends, and family that make his life have meaning. Vicky tries to tell herself to keep everything at arm’s reach, but by the time two days have passed, she finally falls for Juan Antonio. As the three return to Barcelona, Vicky doesn’t say a word about her fling to Cristina.
As Vicky buries herself in her studies to try and forget about hat has happened, Juan Antonio and Cristina begin to get close. So close in fact, that in short order they are living together at Juan Antonio’s villa. Things go swimmingly until Juan Antonio gets a late night call regarding his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), who has just attempted suicide. Ever the caretaker, he takes her in, and begins an uneasy, yet enticing situation where he, Christina, and Maria Elena live together.
Written and directed by Woody Allen, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA is one hot movie. There is no nudity, and no graphic images, but it seems as though every other scene is brimming with conversation that is either seductive, passionate, or wanting. Most of the characters are leading with their hearts, and as such the film sizzles in ways you wouldn’t expect going in. Of course, the bright and lush stage that Spain provides for the film only heightens the enticement of the film. The sun-drenched scenery, and the BEE-yoo-iful cast is almost guaranteed to heighten your sense of passion. Fair warning – if you can avoid it, don’t see this movie without a date (and on that note, I’m speaking from experience).
The movie holds artists – and artists-at-heart – in very high regard. Poets, painters, musicians, writers, photographers…these are the people the film is convinced live their life most passionately. These are the souls who understand what it is we are put on earth to do, and as such these are the people who are the most seductive. It’s a rather romantic notion, one that touched a nerve for me, and one that isn’t entirely without merit. Javier Bardem seems to understand this best, as his portrayal of Juan Antonio is one that is entirely built on passion. With his every word, he shoots from the hip…but he likewise does so with an expression in his eyes that seems to follow every line with a silent “No, really. I mean it”.
If I could make any one change to the movie, though it would mostly be out of curiosity for the result, it would be to drop the voiced-over narration. While the narration does fill in the odd gap here and there, I sometimes felt that it caused a bit of a disconnect. More often than not, what our narrator tells us is less consequential details, and had his script been cut, and our minds left to fill in the holes, it could have resulted in a more abstract experience.
What VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA reminds us of most, is the fact that we as humans can go so very wrong when we think with our hearts. We may long for a change, for something exotic, for sensual adventure – and worse we may even act on these impulses with an appropriately beautiful stranger. However, what Allen’s film also points out so very well, is that our hearts have a knack of disregarding the consequences…and what we want almost always comes at a steep cost. Sometimes at a cost to us, sometimes at a cost to those we hold most dear.
For some reason, this is one of the few movies I saw in theaters this year. You can read my review here:
http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicky-cristina-barcelona.html