Vicky Cristina Barcelona follows the story of two friends on their summer vacation to Spain. The two characters, although best friends, couldn’t be more different than each other and for this reason their romantic relationships are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Vicky is traditional and rational and is engaged to marry a man when she returns from her trip, and is in Barcelona to work on her masters on Catalan identity. Cristina is a very spontaneous, free spirited woman who goes where the wind takes her, which often seems to be into the hands of another lover. She is in Barcelona to get over another failed relationship and find direction and inspiration in her life.
So, what is the best way to cause an interesting story line between these two characters? You guessed it, very early on in the film the two women meet a man that they are both attracted to. Vicky denies this attraction but as Cristina pursues this man, Juan Antonio, she becomes extremely jealous. Vicky begins questioning her commitment to her fiancé as well as her view on love and marriage. Cristina quickly moves in with Juan Antonio, primarily attracted to his artistic vision as an abstract painter which he carries over to every other aspect of his life.
The story then gets much more complicated, with a third woman entering Cristina and Juan Antonio’s relationship forming a strange, ‘committed’ threesome between them, but I’ll spare you the details there. Cristina realizes that this relationship isn’t working out and goes to France for the rest of the summer, and Vicky sees this as her opportunity to act on her initial feelings for Juan Antonio.
The most interesting aspect of this film for me was that although the characters go through a lot of bizarre situations and learn a lot about themselves in the process, it appears that their lives continue just where they left off when they return from their trip. It would appear to anyone else that wasn’t on the trip with them that they simply enjoyed the culture and wine of Spain for three months and are now ready to continue with their future plans. The end of film intentionally mirrors the way in which we were introduced to the characters in the beginning, further stressing this point.
Even though their lives appear to be the same, after their very exciting summer, both women return greatly changed and even more committed to their views of love. Vicky realizes that the idea of a romantic artist greatly appeals to her but that she could never really commit to that lifestyle. She had her moment to escape the plans and rules she set out for herself but she could not take it because it was going against every part that makes her who she is. She realized that she let ideas and attraction get in the way of seeing her fiancé’s commitment to her and the love they have together.
Cristina on the other hand, still appears to be a mess and completely lacking direction in her life, but this is something throughout the film that we have expected and learned to love about her character. She is innately adventurous and because of this, she primarily learns from experience. Cristina concludes towards the end of the film, “I don’t know what I want, but I know what I don’t want.” She tried to be with Juan Antonio and she tried to be with him and the other woman, and she realized that it wasn’t for her and that it’s time to move on to somewhere new with new opportunities and challenges.
Towards the end of the film the two women have a conversation that culminates all that they have learned both together and apart. Vicky took Cristina’s view on life for a brief moment when she almost tried to get with Juan Antonio, and Cristina realized she was trying to be like Vicky when she agreed to settle down with Juan Antonio and the other woman. The two women shared a great summer of adventure and growth together, and are ready to continue with their lives.
Overall, I really liked this movie and I think it straddles the line between 'totally crazy' and 'unique' very well. It is one of my favorite Woddy Allen movies that I've seen, mostly because all of the typical characteristics of a Woody Allen film are toned down. The plot line is still a bit bizarre, but that's what makes it interesting. This film is also extremely well acted, and I especially enjoyed the moments in the film when Penelope Cruz turned on her crazy switch and became a little spanish tornado. I liked that Woody Allen kept this in spanish instead of making her speak english because allowing her to speak in her native tongue really escalated her amazing acting ability in these scenes. I would highly recommend this film and think it stands out against many movies that struggle to portray the same concept.
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