Sunday, February 06, 2011
Michael Allen
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu.
Writers: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu and Armando Bo.
Alejandro Iñárritu is the director of such hard hitting films as 21 Grams, Amores Perros, and Babel. Already, his latest film, Biutiful, has received Oscar recognition for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor (Javier Bardem). Shown at the 2011 Victoria Film Festival February 5th, Biutiful is three parts drama, one part thriller and one part supernatural. All of these elements come together to show one desperate man fighting for his fractured family within Barcelona. The outcome is one of sadness, which tugs at the heartstrings; however, beautiful is not how this film pictures humanity.
Javier Bardem plays Uxbal, a man dying of cancer. He has two months to live and his two children rely on him, almost solely. Uxbal's on again, off again former wife is suffering with untreated Bi-polar Disorder and her mad ravings pull the family into deeper despair. A low level street criminal, this husband and father exploits Chinese immigrants for their cheap labour. African asylum seekers are also utilized to sell knock-off designer goods. All of these events take place within a spiritual realm, which only Uxbal, his daughter and a female mentor can see.
Recently, Bardem has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar and the complexity of his character is what provided this opportunity. Bardem's performance is noteworthy, but Alejandro Iñárritu and Armando Bo's writing of this protagonist is especially excellent. The strain of taking care of two young children shows on Bardem's face, while his character Uxbal seeks to leave something behind for those he loves. This is not an easy task in the Spanish underworld. nor for an actor in a world full of petty corruption.
A pause is required here to take a look at some of the other-worldly aspects of the film. Moths are shown often on the ceiling of Uxbal's many dwellings. These represent lost souls, who are seeking some type of understanding - before moving on. If you look closely, you will see that the moths, or souls have disappeared, once Uxbal has finally succumbed to his illness. Also, many of the released souls in Biutiful crawl along the ceilings, as if searching for a portal Heavenward. Thus, the moths are a symbolic representation of trapped souls, which only Uxbal and a few others can see.
One of the detractions from Biutiful for this viewer was the heaviness of the material. There seems to be so little hope in the squalid underbelly of Barcelona and Cataluna. The protagonist, Uxbal, works hard for his family, but the results seem tragic. Also, the outcome for his children is questionable, as their sole guardian has recently been interned into a psychiatric facility. So, there are obviously no happy endings here and the tone of the film begins to drain near the two hour mark. However, this is drama and not real life; much of the material should be taken in with a questioning eye.
This film will release nationwide in Canada February 18th and the early release will give audiences an opportunity to see Alejandro Iñárritu's latest work before the Academy Awards. Overall, this was a great film experience, but those heading out to a viewing might want to prepare themselves for the very serious tones of Biutiful. Otherwise, you will find yourself staring at cinematic moths, looking for deeper meanings.
Plot/story/believability: 7 (disheartening).
Characters/believability: 8 (all the characters are heavily flawed).
Setting/realism/authenticity: 8 (the cinematography is excellent).
Overall: 7.6 (this is not light-hearted escapism, but gripping, soul wrenching material).
Find an upcoming theatre location for this film at the Biutiful official website:
The Biutiful Official Website
Another review of this title is available here. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun looks at the tragedy of Biutiful:
Biutiful at the Chicago Sun
The Victoria Film Festival ends February 13th. Have a look at over a 150 films here:
The Victoria Film Festival Official Website
These are several other films from director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. Amores Perros is a must see for drama fans:
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Posted in: alejandro gonzalez inarritu,biutiful,foreign drama movie review,immigrant,javier bardem,movie review,supernatural,tragedy,victoria film festival
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