Te quiero Barcelona

This weekend I saw Woody Allen's latest film, Vicky Christina Barcelona. (Yes, I realize I'm several months late). While, I am a huge Woody Allen fan, I breathed a sigh of relief to learn that he was not in it. And I was even more relieved that a neurotic, cerebral, east coast male was not central to the plot. Instead, it involved a seductive Scarlet Johanson, an explosively passionate Penelope Cruz, a sexy Javier Bardem, and a headstrong Rebecca Hall (who I was recently impressed with in Frost/Nixon). The sensual city of Barcelona must have inspired something in my friend Woody, because the plot and characters were some of the best I've seen from him in a long while.

The film conjured up a lot of thoughts for me and what better place to spill them than on this darn here blog.

1. I was especially intrigued with the idea that all relationships are dependent on a kind of balance that may or may not involve two people. A dynamic of 'three' could be essential, certainly with friendship, and, as this film explored, maybe even in matters of the heart. (Ex. Penelope and Javier could only make their romance work with Scarlet around)

2. While that actual threesome was going on, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) was struggling with wanting two different men. One, was the man she always envisioned herself with: sturdy, practical, solid, and settled. The other was someone passionate and spontaneous. It begged the question: why on earth should she have to choose? Oh yeah, because we're only supposed to want one.

While I'm not proposing that we all run off and find two people to balance all of our desires out (don't worry Tyler) , it's just an interesting concept. Perhaps we're not wired to desire one type of person at a time. And if we choose one person, maybe we have to make sure that just the right balance exists before we commit. Just something to think about. Something important to think about. Because, this film would have us think (and, in my opinion, rightly so) that happiness depends on that balance.