Three-some

Rating: 8/10 (20 August 2008)

Something happened to Woody Allen when he decided to abandon Manhattan, the setting of most of his films, for Europe. It seems Mr. Allen has found a new way to leave behind his angst in exchange for a new, somewhat less restrained sexual atmosphere in which to set his movies. This, of course, is a welcome relief. After all, Mr. Allen was getting in a rut with his last cinematic ventures.
Every year thousands of young American college students invade Europe, either in exchange programs, or just enrolled in foreign language studies, or just vacationing in the Continent. Most of these kids come from conservative, and in many ways, puritanical backgrounds, probably having no sexual experience to speak of. Vicky and Cristina, two of those students, are seen in Barcelona where they undergo a somewhat sentimental education in a different milieu.
While Vicky is less adventurous than her friend Cristina, both will be transformed by the meeting of the hunky Juan Antonio and his estranged wife, Maria Elena. Juan Antonio offers them sex, and even proposes to do it with both of them at the same time. Vicky, a more prudish girl, can't go along, but Cristina, the more adventuresome, doesn't even bat an eyelash when she gets together with him and the former wife, who is game for entering in a sexual triangle.
This time though, the principal male figure, Juan Antonio, is an aggressive man, in contrast with other characters that have served Mr. Allen well in his American movies. Javier Bardem proves he can excel when he is guided with a sure hand, as is the case here. Penelope Cruz fares better than in most of her Hollywood previous work in a role that gives her an edge over the more passive parts she has played before.
This is not to say there has not been sex involved in Mr. Allen's previous films. In showing a new freedom in how to present it on the screen, he has shied away from all the neurotic men and women that have been at the center of his work. This is a welcome development in a man who has decided to reinvent himself by getting away from his usual playing ground.