poster from www.screeninglog.com
After months of chick flick drought, Ceci and I caught Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night, amidst a predominantly male audience. It was a tad odd, but we left it at the conclusion that they were either Woody Allen or Scarlett Johansson fans. The movie, though less cliche than the usual fare, was disappointingly bland as compared to previous Allen-Johansson pairings like Match Point and Scoop. At least to me.
The subject in Vicky Cristina Barcelona was love, a concept tackled and mishandled way too often in films. In this somewhat indie offering, Allen sought to explore the inexplicable and tricky subject, but offered no answers at the end of the movie, except for one poignant statement that replayed itself over and over in my head on the bus ride home.
Juan Antonio's psycho ex-wife, Maria Elena, told Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) that their marriage was perfect except for "the missing ingredient". The ingredient turned out to be Cristina, who became part of the tangled threesome, but I thought that the concept of "the missing ingredient" was quite applicable in non-threesome relationships as well.
A seemingly perfect love affair can combust. Quietly, suddenly, or over prolonged periods of hurt. It leaves nothing behind but the ebbing sparks and a sense of inexplicable loss, while the lovers contemplate what had exactly gone wrong.
A movie that answers a question with yet more questions. How about that.
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