Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the latest film by Woody Allen. It is a complex tale of two American tourists (Scarlett Johannson and Rebecca Hall) in Spain for the summer who meet and are entranced by local artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Antonio constantly refers to his ex-wife Maria Elena (the brilliant Penelope Cruz) who attempted to kill him previously. When Maria Elena shows up fresh from a stint in the hospital due to an attempted suicide, things evolve in unpredictable ways.
This is clearly Allen's best film in years, and certainly the most entertaining to me. I was captivated with the film from the get go, and not just with it's gorgeous leading women. The world that Allen has captured here is sumptuous and unlike anywhere he has taken us before. The coloring and lighting are clearly Bertolucci-esque, which in my book is a high complement. In fact, the entire plot line (though more of an ensemble approach) is very much placed in Bertolucci territory, and I could easily see him having taken the reins of this film.
But what really sets this movie apart from the past several efforts by Allen is that it is very heartfelt in every aspect. Infidelity (an Allen staple) is not without loss, both public and private. This is a film full of individuals lost in their own desires, and the consequences of those wanderings are felt in every frame. Cruz is on fire here, (and is Oscar nominated) all blustery brilliance and self-defeated grace. Rebecca Hall (an excellent quiet performance) is the level head, but even she loses control of her carefully constructed facade to unknown consequence.
However, it is Bardem that carries the film. He is brilliantly complex, conveying an immense sense of loss, dread, lust, desire, pain, exuberance, and empathy through his heavy lidded eyes. He is the rarest of talents - an actor (like Brando before him) who is not afraid to go to complicated territory where we (as an audience) never quite find our footing (as I discussed in a previous post). We don't know whether we love him or hate him, we don't even understand him, but we cannot take our eyes off of him as we follow him. I look forward to watching his career develop over time.
This is clearly Allen's best film in years, and certainly the most entertaining to me. I was captivated with the film from the get go, and not just with it's gorgeous leading women. The world that Allen has captured here is sumptuous and unlike anywhere he has taken us before. The coloring and lighting are clearly Bertolucci-esque, which in my book is a high complement. In fact, the entire plot line (though more of an ensemble approach) is very much placed in Bertolucci territory, and I could easily see him having taken the reins of this film.
But what really sets this movie apart from the past several efforts by Allen is that it is very heartfelt in every aspect. Infidelity (an Allen staple) is not without loss, both public and private. This is a film full of individuals lost in their own desires, and the consequences of those wanderings are felt in every frame. Cruz is on fire here, (and is Oscar nominated) all blustery brilliance and self-defeated grace. Rebecca Hall (an excellent quiet performance) is the level head, but even she loses control of her carefully constructed facade to unknown consequence.
However, it is Bardem that carries the film. He is brilliantly complex, conveying an immense sense of loss, dread, lust, desire, pain, exuberance, and empathy through his heavy lidded eyes. He is the rarest of talents - an actor (like Brando before him) who is not afraid to go to complicated territory where we (as an audience) never quite find our footing (as I discussed in a previous post). We don't know whether we love him or hate him, we don't even understand him, but we cannot take our eyes off of him as we follow him. I look forward to watching his career develop over time.
