Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Javier Bardem: Juan Antonio

Photos 

18 more photos

Quotes 

• Juan Antonio : Maria Elena used to say that only unfulfilled love can be romantic.

• Juan Antonio : Why not? Life is short. Life is dull. Life is full of pain. And this is a chance for something special.

• Vicky : So, uh, tell me why, why won't your father publish his poems?

  Juan Antonio : Well, because, ungh, he hates the world and that's his way of getting back at them, to create beautiful works and then to deny them to the public, which I think it's...

  Vicky : My god.

  Juan Antonio : Hmmm.

  Vicky : Oh, what makes him so angry toward the human race?

  Juan Antonio : Because after thousands of years of civilization they still haven't learned to love.

• Juan Antonio : American?

  Cristina : I'm Cristina, and this is my friend Vicky.

  Juan Antonio : What color are your eyes?

  Cristina : Uh, they're blue.

  Juan Antonio : Well, I'd like to invite you both to come with me to Oviedo.

  Vicky : To come where?

  Juan Antonio : To Oviedo. For the weekend. We leave in one hour.

  Cristina : What- Where is Oviedo?

  Juan Antonio : A very short flight.

  Vicky : By plane?

  Juan Antonio : Mmm-hmm.

  Cristina : What's in Oviedo?

  Juan Antonio : I go to see a sculpture, that is very inspiring to me. A very beautiful sculpture. You will love it.

  Vicky : Oh, right. you're asking us to fly to Oviedo and back.

  Juan Antonio : Mmmm. No, we'll spend the weekend. I mean, I'll show you around the city, and we'll eat well. We'll drink good wine. We'll make love.

  Vicky : Yeah, who exactly is going to make love?

  Juan Antonio : Hopefully, the three of us.

• Juan Antonio : We are meant for each other and not meant for each other. It's a contradiction.

• Juan Antonio : Well, now that the day's almost over, is it reasonable of me to ask you if you'll both join me in my room?

  Vicky : Oh, come on, I thought we'd settled that.

  Cristina : Vicky's just trying to say that she's engaged to be married, that's all.

  Juan Antonio : Great. Then these are her last days of freedom.

  Vicky : No. Look, I'm not free. I'm committed. You know what my theory is? And when I drink, I get brutally frank. I think that you're still hurting from the failure of your marriage to Maria Elena, and you're trying to lose yourself in empty sex.

  Juan Antonio : Empty sex? Do you have such a low opinion of yourself?

• Maria Elena : You're still searching for me in every woman.

  Juan Antonio : That is not true, Maria Elena. I was in Oviedo some weeks ago with a woman who was the antithesis of you. An American, and something beautiful happened with her. So you're mistaken.

  Maria Elena : You'll always seek to duplicate what we had. You know it.

• Juan Antonio : We were both sure that... our relation was perfect, but there was something missing. You know? Like, love requires such a perfect balance. It's... like the human body. It may turn that you have all the vitamins and minerals, but if... there is minus a single, tiny ingredient... missing, like, like, like, like, ooh, like salt, for example... one dies.

  Cristina : Salt?

• Cristina : [Looking at a sculpture of Jesus]  Are you very religious?

  Juan Antonio : No, no, no, no, I'm not. The trick is to enjoy life, accepting it has no meaning whatsoever.

  Cristina : No meaning? You don't think that authentic love gives life meaning?

  Juan Antonio : Yes, but love is so transient. Isn't it? I was in love with a most incredible woman... and then in the end...

  Vicky : Yes?

  Juan Antonio : She put a knife into me.

  Cristina : My God, that's terrible!

  Vicky : Well, maybe you did something to deserve it.

• [repeated line] 

  Juan Antonio : Speak English!

• Vicky : Oh, God, look, I wouldn't call our reluctance to leap at your sexual offer being over-analytical. If you would care to join us for some recognized form of social interaction, like a drink, then we'd be fine, but otherwise, I think you should try, you know, offering to some other table.

  Juan Antonio : Mm-hm. What offended you about the offer? Surely not that I find you both beautiful and desirable.

  Vicky : Offended me, no. It's very amusing, galling, to be honest,

• Maria Elena : I don't like her for you! I don't trust her! And you know I always have your best interests.

  Juan Antonio : Well, not when you're trying to kill me.

  Maria Elena : Oh, that.

  Juan Antonio : Yeah, that. That small detail. Yes.

• Cristina : I can't guarantee the love-making, because I happen to be very moody.

  Juan Antonio : Let's not negotiate like a contract. I came over here with no subterfuge and presented my best offer.

• Julio : What do you hear of Maria Elena?

  Juan Antonio : Eh, Maria Elena. Maria Elena's still living with the architect in Madrid.

  Julio : That woman was the best. I still have erotic dreams about her, at my age.

  Juan Antonio : She also loved you very much, Papa.

• Vicky : You said you were looking at my face. Why?

  Juan Antonio : Why were you looking at mine?

  Vicky : Was I?

  Juan Antonio : You probably saw my tears.

  Vicky : Yeah. I'm a little out of control.

  Juan Antonio : I was looking at your face because I find it very beautiful.

  Vicky : You do?

  Juan Antonio : Of course, I do. Of course, I do. And you know I do.

  [kiss] 

• Cristina : How long is she going to stay here?

  Juan Antonio : Christina, I know - this is not what you had in mind.

  Cristina : No.

  Juan Antonio : But, she has to stay with us.

  Cristina : I understand. I understand.

  Juan Antonio : She has no one else.

  Cristina : I understand. It's only for a short time.

  Juan Antonio : Yes, a few months, at most.

  Cristina : She's staying for a few months?

• Juan Antonio : Judy Nash says you are having an unhappy life.

  Vicky : Well, she's talking about herself.

  Juan Antonio : Maybe you will understand more about your own feelings once we've made love.

  Vicky : Yeah or less.

• Juan Antonio : When I saw you across the room at the art gallery, I noticed you have - beautiful lips. Very full, very sexual.

  Cristina : Thank you.

• Cristina : I am here to go to bed with you. You're right. So, you're pretty much home free, unless you - blow it.

  Juan Antonio : Blow it?

  Cristina : Yeah.

  Juan Antonio : *Blow* it - you mean ruin the moment?

  Cristina : Yeah.

  Juan Antonio : How would I do that?

  Cristina : I don't know. It could be anything from some inane comment to wearing the wrong kind of shorts. Although, some how, by looking at you, I think you're wearing the right kind of shorts.

• Juan Antonio : What do you want in life besides a man with the right shorts?

  Cristina : I don't know. I know I'm not going to settle till I find what I'm looking for.

  Juan Antonio : Which is - what?

  Cristina : Something - I want someone, something different, something more, some sort of counterintuitive love.

  Juan Antonio : Meaning?

  Cristina : Meaning - I don't know. I don't know what I want. I only know what I don't want.

• Juan Antonio : You also admire Spanish guitar, I hear?

  Vicky : Yes! Yes, I love the guitar.

  Juan Antonio : Would you like to go to hear some wonderful guitar tonight?

  Vicky : Tonight? Well, it's a little late and, you know, I'm a little wobbly from the wine.

  Juan Antonio : You said you could hold your alcohol? Besides, we leave tomorrow.

  Vicky : Okay, sure.

• Juan Antonio : We never had a chance to say a proper goodbye.

  Vicky : Oh, well, you could have called me.

  Juan Antonio : I - yeah - I debated it. But, I didn't think there was much point.

  Vicky : Yeah, but, you never phoned. Not to say - anything. I mean, "thank you, it was fun." You don't make love to someone and then never call them unless you were greatly disappointed.

  Juan Antonio : Quite the opposite. But, you have plans to marry and I thought it best to stop anything before it lead to a bad situation for everyone.

  Vicky : Yeah, well, I'm only saying that we made love and you seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I mean, I realize these things don't mean much to you.

  Juan Antonio : To pursue matters would have only caused you anxiety and for me a disappointment.

• Maria Elena : Do you think she'll be enough for you?

  Juan Antonio : Well, she's - she's quite intelligent and she is a free thinker like you.

  Maria Elena : Like me?

  Juan Antonio : Yes.

  Maria Elena : You're still searching for me in every woman.