Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain fall in love with one and the same painter. They are oblivious of what will happen next when the painter’s ex-wife, with whom he has a stormy relationship, is about to barge into the idyllic scenario.

In ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona,’ Woody Allen settles his gaze on the complexities of love linkages, the fragility of life as a couple, the collapse of a perfect world, and the temptation to enjoy life under the romantic bohemian sky. This is a story of opposing views on love and life and what might ensue if opposition turns into a quiet clash.

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is a girl too sure of herself and mature in love. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) believes that pain is inherent in life as a couple. Mostly, they talk about men. Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) suffers psychotic outbreaks. The characters, manifested in their individual fullness, come together as if they were a synthesis of everything.

When most films are almost always set in the United States, Woody Allen moved to Europe. On why he chose Barcelona, he sincerely said, “The truth is that people in Barcelona called me and asked if I was interested in making a film there. I love Spain. I love Barcelona. Then I committed myself to write something that could shoot there.” Well, so much for looking into the profundity in the film’s title. That explains the name Barcelona up there in the film’s title, looking like a character with an equal share of the billing.

With brilliant performances, humor, sensuality, and a sharp eye on the nuances of love – where love and temptation are constantly crossed, Woody Allen manages to build a film between melodrama and comedy that is not even a little disappointing.

As in most Allen films, however, ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ once again showcases the director’s penchant for female characters that may necessarily just be within the purview of his own understanding of the female psyche. Woody Allen may be a great director but he is still a man who will forever have only second-hand knowledge of females.

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