Film: Biutiful
Cast includes: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Maricel Álvarez
Writer/Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams)
Genre: Drama (2011) Spanish with subtitles
In brief: “Is it a real diamond?” Ana wants to know. “It’s yours now,” Uxbal tells his daughter when he gives her the ring. He’s hearing the sound of the sea, and it frightens him… even though he’s no stranger to death. Uxbal often carries messages from the dead, even though some think he’s a fake. Sometimes it gives the mourners comfort. Uxbal should have seen the doctor months ago. At this point there’s not much that can be done. What he’s hoping for is to leave things in a better place for Ana and Mateo, his two young children.
As a criminal, working with sweat shop factories who employ illegal workers and with African street vendors, Uxbal has no social services to fall back on. Even his ex-wife is no help. She’s so unstable she’s more of a child than his children. Uxbal quietly puts money away, but there isn’t much money to put away, and he’s running out of time. Yet, as bad as things are for Uxbal, they’re even worse for others. Uxbal feels everyone’s pain… but can he do anything about it? In a perfect world, he’d find a way.
The emotional intensity of this role was a challenge, even for an actor as gifted as Javier Bardem. The part was written especially for Bardem, and if he had not agreed to play Uxbal, the film would not have been made… nor would we have likely wanted to see it. Unlike most films, this one was shot in sequence because the emotional journey would have been to hard to create, had the shooting schedule jumped from place to place in the story line. There’s no melodrama, just gritty realism. Shot on location in some of the least picturesque parts of Barcelona, Biutiful takes us into a dark world, where redemption comes in very small portions… if at all.
3 popped kernels
A painful journey, exquisitely developed
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Depressing
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Character Development: Intense
Language: Spanish
Social Significance: Thought provoking
