Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film features well-known stars Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson, as well as relative newcomer Rebecca Hall. The Story centers around two American women, Vicky and Cristina, spending a summer in Barcelona, where they meet an artist who is attracted to both of them while still enamored of his mentally and emotionally unstable ex-wife María Elena. The film was shot in Avilés, Barcelona, and Oviedo, and was Allen’s fourth consecutive film shot outside of the United States.
The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, then received a rolling worldwide general release that started in August 2008 in the USA, and continued in various countries each month until the June 2009 release in Japan.
Plot
Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) visit Barcelona for the summer, staying with Vicky’s distant relative Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband, Mark Nash (Kevin Dunn). A narrator (voice of Christopher Evan Welch), present throughout the film, describes the two friends: Vicky is practical and traditional in her approach to love and commitment, and is engaged to the reliable but unromantic Doug (Chris Messina). She is in Barcelona getting her masters in “Catalan identity”. Cristina, on the other hand, is a nonconformist, spontaneous but unsure of what she wants from life or love.
At an art exhibition, they notice the artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Cristina is impressed with him at first sight, and grows intrigued when Judy and Mark tell the girls that the artist has suffered a publicly violent relationship with his ex-wife. Later that night, the girls notice him across the room in a restaurant. He approaches their table and quickly invites them to join him to the city of Oviedo, in the small plane he flies himself, to spend a weekend sight-seeing, drinking wine, and, Juan Antonio hopes, making love. Cristina accepts the brazen offer almost at once, but Vicky refuses, strongly resenting his assumption that the two of them would agree to go to bed with him after less than five minutes’ acquaintance. She eventually decides to accompany her friend anyway, mainly as she says “to protect Cristina from making a big mistake”.
At the end of their first day, Juan Antonio asks both women to come to his room. Vicky refuses, but Cristina agrees, though she falls ill before any love making happens. For the remainder of the weekend, Vicky and Juan Antonio are forced together while Cristina recuperates. During their trip, he tells her about his ex-wife and his tumultuous relationship with her and takes her to visit his father an old poet, making Vicky change her negative first impression of him. After more wine over dinner and an intimate guitar concert, Vicky succumbs to his charms and the two make love.
The next day, Juan takes them back to Barcelona. Vicky, feeling guilty, does not mention the incident to Cristina, and the two begin to grow apart, Vicky throwing herself into her Catalan culture studies and Cristina taking up photography. Soon Juan Antonio is dating Cristina. Meanwhile, Doug unexpectedly telephones Vicky, suggesting that they get married in Spain. She agrees, with unspoken misgivings, and he flies to meet her. Cristina and Juan Antonio grow closer and move in together.
One night, Cristina and Juan Antonio are woken up by a call, learning that Juan’s ex-wife María Elena (Penélope Cruz) has attempted to kill herself. With nowhere else to go, Juan Antonio brings her home, and she moves into the guest room. Though initially María Elena distrusts Cristina, she soon develops a fondness for her and her photography.
Cristina soon realizes that the ex-spouses are still in love, and María Elena confides that their relationship was always loving but unstable because they were missing something, a mystery element neither of them figured out. María Elena now suggests that the missing link is in fact, Cristina, and the three become polyamorous. Cristina discloses the events of her life to Vicky, who appears secretly jealous of her friend’s relationship with Juan Antonio, and to Doug, who disapproves.
As the summer winds to a close, Vicky realizes that she is unsatisfied in her married life, and is still attracted to Juan Antonio. She learns that Judy is also unhappy in her marriage, and confides in the older woman. Judy, who sees Vicky as a younger version of herself, decides to bring Juan Antonio and Vicky together. Meanwhile, Cristina becomes restless and announces she is leaving Juan Antonio and María Elena. Maria does not take the news well and breaks down. Cristina spends the last weeks of the summer in France. With their “missing link” gone, Juan Antonio and María Elena break up again.
Attempting to pair up Juan Antonio and Vicky, Judy arranges for them both to be at a party. Juan Antonio begs Vicky to meet him the next day. After lying to Doug, Vicky, against her better judgment, goes to Juan’s home for lunch, after which Juan tries to seduce her again. She is on the point of consenting when María Elena bursts in with a gun and begins firing wildly. As Juan Antonio tries to take the gun from his sobbing wife, Vicky is accidentally shot in the hand, wounding her slightly. Vicky shouts at both of them, saying they are insane and she could never live like this, and leaves.
When Cristina returns from France, Vicky confesses the entire story to her. Cristina says she never knew that Vicky felt that way about Juan Antonio, and she (Cristina) wishes she could have helped her. Doug never learns the true version of events. As the three Americans return to the USA, Vicky goes back to her married life and Cristina remains where she started, not knowing what she wants, but knowing what she doesn’t. Since Vicky chooses to live her rigidly planned (a “perfect”) life, and Cristina chooses to live without making predetermined plans, they end where they began.
Production
In 2007, controversy arose in Catalonia because the film was partially funded with public money: Barcelona’s city hall provided one million euros and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) half a million, or ten percent of the film’s budget.
In August 2008, Allen wrote a humorous version of a production diary, with entries such as:
- Jan. 2 — Received offer to write and direct film in Barcelona. Must be cautious. Spain is sunny, and I freckle. Money not great either, but agent did manage to get me a 10th of 1 percent of anything the picture does over $400 million after break even.
- June 1 — Arrived Barcelona. Accommodations first class. Hotel has been promised half star next year provided they install running water.
- June 30 — Dailies are looking good, and while Javier’s idea to add a massive Martian invasion scene complete with a thousand costumed extras and elaborate flying saucers is not a very good one, I will shoot it to make him happy and cut it in the editing room.
- Aug. 25 — End production today. Wrap party as usual a little sad. Slow danced with Scarlett. Broke her toe. Not my fault. When she dipped me back, I stepped on it … Everyone in cast and crew chipped in and bought me a ballpoint pen.
This is the third time Johansson and Allen have worked together, following Match Point and Scoop. This film also mark the second time Johansson and Hall worked together, the first one being The Prestige.
Awards and nominations
The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Woody Allen won his first Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Penélope Cruz won numerous honors for her performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress, the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress, the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Cast & Credits
- Directed by: Woody Allen
- Produced by: Letty Aronson, Jaume Roures, Stephen Tenenbaum, Gareth Wiley
- Written by: Woody Allen
- Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch
- Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn
- Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe
- Editing by: Alisa Lepselter
Other Information
- Studio: MediaPro, Wild Bunch
- Distributed by: The Weinstein Company, Optimum Releasing
- Release date: August 15, 2008
- Running time: 96 min.
- Country: United States, Spain
- Language: English, Spanish
- Budget: $15 million
Links
Will Pan
The Book of Eli - 2010