Vicky Cristina Barcelona (dir. Woody Allen, 2008)- EveryFilmIWatch review

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I had been unusually unwilling to watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Though I’m a huge Woody Allen fan, I found From Rome With Love a bit tedious, and, in spite of the brilliance of Midnight In Paris, I found the notion of an American director touring around European capitals and making a corresponding film in each a bit sickly. I was completely humbled by Vicky Cristina Barcelona and found it to be the best of his work since Crimes and Misdemeanours almost 20 years prior.

The story is entirely rooted in archetypes which, other than in satire, normally spells disaster for a film. But within the archetypal structure, with the help of a stupendously talented cast, the characters fizz with energy and demonstrate the justification for the creation and propagation of the archetypes that each represents. In true Allen form, he is in the film, though not literally; Vicky has many of the Allen quirks, each garnished with his incisive wit and crippling neurosis.

The plot, which essentially details the summer experience of two polar opposite American friends (Vicky and Cristina) as they navigate the dignified languor of Barcelona and the surrounding Catalan area, is always second to character- another hallmark of Allen's best work. Using a simple compare and contrast technique, Allen crafts two of his most psychologically realised characters in years and sets up an irresistible scenario. Where Vicky is neurotic, seemingly timid and critical of frivolity, Cristina is insecure, artistic, emotional and openly sexual.

The arrival of the seductive, disarmingly candid Juan Antonio (a Javier Bardem role to go down in history) and his unhinged and fiercely passionate ex-wife (Penélope Cruz) power washes the East Coast anxieties and societal expectations from the two Americans, leaving only who they really are and, critically, what they really want. With standout work from Hall, Johansson, Bardem and Cruz, not to mention an unusually ‘directorial’ and intentional approach to the visual elements of the film, this is Allen at his best: captivating, sensitive, open, moving, critical and funny, seemingly all at the same time.

EveryFilmIWatch is a multi-channel film review project run by Sebastian Cox, ScriptUp co-founder. Further reviews can be found on Instagram.