VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem + Penélope Cruz
In Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Vicky (Scarlett Johansson) and Cristina (Rebecca Hall) are American friends spending the summer in Spain with Vicky’s distant relative Judy (Patricia Clarkson), and her husband Mark (Kevin Dunn). While at an art gallery, they meet the seductive painter Juan Antonia (Javier Bardem). Although both women are smitten, Cristina decides to keep her distance. On the other hand, Vicky dives headfirst into a tumultuous affair with Juan Carlo and his on-again, off-again lover, María Elena (Penélope Cruz).
The movie garnered a plethora of positive reviews and currently holds an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Cruz, in particular, was singled out for her performance as the fiery María Elena. She went on to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the 2008 Academy Awards for her role.
Of course, when people think of Vicky Cristina Barcelona now, it is hard to distance the film from the man who made it. And we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about Woody Allen’s myriad controversies, especially in light of the HBO doc series Allen v. Farrow, which details the alleged sexual abuse Woody Allen perpetrated against his pre-pubescent daughter, Dylan. Does this movie have anything to do with Allen’s personal life? No, but it’s hard not to think of those allegations when watching anything by the filmmaker. This is an issue we have been grappling with for decades, how to separate art from their allegedly monstrous artists, and should we try to separate? When the work is so inherently linked to that artist’s own life and psyche (think Manhattan) is there any way to separate? What about here, where the film seemingly has no ties to the creator’s personal life?
You can watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona for free this week on PROVOKR.
