Vicky, Cristina ( and the real ) Barcelona

Marta Bausells Hernanz, our writer and Barcelona native looks at Woody Allen's latest offering Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona to see if it does justice to her city.

Barcelona... the word either conjures up images of a carefree city; brings back happy memories or inspires plans for a hedonistic trip. And who wouldn’t want to go there? Nice weather, good food, interesting architecture, cool people, non-stop partying… Surely in non-Mediterranean cultures it’s seen as a dream city, with films and art contributing to its image. And now in  Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the city appears so beautiful and romantic, the playground for the fiery adventures of two sentimentally confused girls. But how much of this image is true and how much is a cliché?

Allen’s vision of Barcelona is one that is probably shared by many past or potential visitors. He shows it as visually stunning, with a Mediterranean air, like a lovely postcard. His aim was to make it another character in the film (hence the title), and he certainly succeeds: the locations look amazingly beautiful and they compliment the story. But he doesn’t quite capture the truth of Barcelona. For in the film, it’s apparently filled with bohemian artists and galleries;  small-town charm and luxury.

To begin with, the movie shows only monumental or tourist sites. Besides Las Ramblas, the only streets that appear are from the old part: the characters wander around the charming Gotic quarter or the diverse and vibrating Raval (including Plaça dels Àngels, with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) along with bars and cafés aplenty.  But they are just  a landscape, devoid of  local people (besides artists, of course). Also, these streets give the impression of a village, and practically the only people there are prostitutes that seem to have escaped from an Almodovar film.

There are some well chosen places, such as the  National Museum of Art of Catalunya (MNAC)  the breakwater at the Olympic Port or the charming Tibidabo  amusement park.

However, there aren’t any streets from other parts of the city, such as the genuine Eixample (except for the 5-star Casa Fuster hotel where Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Judy (Patricia Clarkson) go to have a quick talk) or  the Gràcia quarter where life actually happens.
Other films including All About My Mother (Almodóvar) or L’auberge Espagnole (Klapisch) give a more authentic view.

Modernism is omnipresent, with the lovely roof of La Pedrera, Park Güell or Sagrada Família by Gaudí, along with the  Hospital de Sant Pau.
 The works of native Barcelonans Miró (the Fundació Miró  appears) and Picasso both who have shaped the idea of Barcelona as a bohemian city filled with art. Yes, there's an artistic air, and so many cultural things to admire, but it’s not all over the place. What the film doesn’t capture is the city’s real life, its people, its non-glamorous reality.

There are some failed attempts, such as the obsession with Spanish guitars (I've never heard one in Barcelona) and the cliché that you can go to a restaurant at midnight (you’d never get a table so late).
In fact, there is a confusion between Barcelona and everything Spanish (or rather the south of Spain). Even more confusing are the references to “Catalan identity” (which seem to be equivalent to Gaudí), when the film shows nothing of Catalan life.

The choice of Bardem and Cruz (non-Catalan actors) and their characters, who apparently are from Barcelona, but are clear Spanish clichés, starting with the Venezuelan-soap-opera names. Him, a flamboyant artist and passionate, aggressive Don Juan; her, a temperamental and insane woman; their behaviour always astonishing the civilized Americans.

In all, Vicky Cristina Barcelona encourages the hedonistic image of Barcelona, showing it at its most beautiful, but always from a tourist’s point of view. It’s a nice tribute to the city (though not a credible tribute to Spain), but it doesn’t attempt to be more than a postcard set for the adventures of a group of Americans who continue to live their way of life, only this time while admiring the oh- so curious Spanish peculiarities.