Barcelona Movies

It's official -- I miss Spain too much.

Although I'm a Madrid person, I've realized lately that I've grown quite fond of movies set in Barcelona, particularly The Spanish Apartment and, until recently, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Not since I first saw George of the Jungle at age 7 have I had the urge to watch the same movie twice in a row (this goes for both of the two first movies I mentioned.)

The Spanish Apartment is about a French exchange student who studies abroad in Barcelona for a year and shares an apartment with a cool, collected Belgian lesbian, a slightly wound-up Brit, a didactic German, an easy-going Italian, a hunky Danish guy and a feisty Spaniard. I won't delve into the details of the plot, because I highly recommend that YOU SEE IT and find out. But the whole thing takes me back to my time in Madrid and allows me to relax and bask in the warm feeling I get when surrounded by people from all corners of the globe (or, in this case, Europe.)

Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, however, cemented this idea of me not being able to resist these types of movies. It certainly romanticizes many of the experiences one might have in Barcelona, but at the same time seems to describe it perfectly well - from every whim, mistake and emotion. Again, I'm not going to release any details until YOU SEE IT and/or look it up on imdb. I rented it on iTunes, so I only have about 4 hours to watch it a second time the whole way through.

It stars Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penélope Cruz. Apparently Javier Bardem goes to the psycologist that works on the first floor of the apartment building I lived in in Madrid. I've told that fact way too many times but for me, it never gets old -- and that's kinda sad.

But anyway, both films seem to portray that chill, "go-for-it, life is short" kind of attitude that perhaps every non-Spaniard fantasizes about. Of course, I really wish it could apply here in the States, but then again, don't we all.

And did I mention that I could very well possibly go gay for Penélope Cruz? Because I totally would. Straight girls, get real - you'd totally hit that.

Photos from The Spanish Apartment:

The Frenchie I was telling you about.

The Europeans I was telling you about.

Belgian girl teaching French boy how to properly seduce a woman.


See? Even Cristina would totally hit that. But did she? See the movie.

At that amusement park on a hill overlooking Barcelona.

See the movie.

UPDATE: Kirk, if you're reading this, SPANISH MOVIES.