Monotony is scary. Stuck in the same pattern, life becomes a dull disease that slowly deteriorates pieces of your former self. In the latest Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Allen combats monotony with what he knows best, eccentric and twisted relationships of love rooted in sex and a need to escape.
Allen uses Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) to depict his varying vision of love. In the film, the soon to be married Vicky, who is grounded and realistic, has her ideals of what life should be flipped upside down after a night with a mysterious Spanish painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Not knowing of Vicky's misguided feelings of love, Vicky's best friend Cristina, a free loving wanderer that relishes in artistic expression, has an open and drawn out love affair with Antonio. The film is accentuated when the fiery ex-wife of Antonio, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), comes back into his life and joins the passionate relationship between Antonio and Cristina to strike the perfect balance.
The essence of the film is based in the altering views of monotony between the two friends which are punctuated by their interactions with Antonio; Vicky sees her life unraveling into a predictable cookie cutter routine where no true excitement exists, while Cristina becomes restless with even the most erratic of relationships only to suggest that she will never truly be satisfied.
Johansson's portrayal of the neurotic and impulsive Cristina is limited. Allen has an apparent affection for the 24-year-old actress (Johansson also stared in Allen's Match Point), but I find it hard to identify what makes this actress so noteworthy. Her performance is the same in nearly every film, as she heavily relies on her sex appeal and forces the emotion from her character. Unlike Johansson, Cruz plays the crazed Maria Elena effortlessly. The character is dynamic and full of spirit, which Cruz capitalizes on with the right mixture of passion, mystery, and insane behavior. Acknowledged for her brillance in the role, Cruz won for best supporting actress in this year's Oscars.
Last year's Oscar winner for best actor in a supporting role for No Country for Old Men was Bardem, whose performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona revolved around one main stature, to look good. There was no real depth into Bardem's character, Antonio, other than he was an artist, he had had a dysfunctional relationship (Cruz), and he liked to make love to attractive American tourists. Bardem was the man candy of the film and his main role was to appear sexy and secretive as if he always had a hidden agenda. The real roles of the film were given to the ladies, and although she always seems to be forgotten, Hall, who plays Vicky, does her character justice. You don't like Vicky, as she seems pompous and above all things spontaneous and alive with adventure, I found myself wanting to jump through the screen to shake her and say, "live a little!" but nonetheless, her performance is believable and more realistic than the whimsical fantasy that Johansson's character lives by.
Overall, I found the film enjoyable. Although dealing with heavy-hearted themes, the film remained light with a fast rhythm made possible by the music, which varied from the relaxing Spanish guitar to the eerie staple song, "Barcelona." Where the film really hooks you however, is with unexpected instances of humor. Allen's direction for Vicky Cristina Barcelona has been his best work in years, as he tells the story with finesse amongst the beautiful Barcelona background.
