Biutiful REVIEW

Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo and Nicolás Giacobone

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez and Hanna Bouchaib

Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, delivers his fourth film, this time apart from screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, to once and for all prove that he can stand on his own as a filmmaker. The movie tells the story of a man called Uxbal (Bardem), who works within the underworld of modern Barcelona needs to find a proper legacy to leave to his children now that he realizes he is dying of cancer and has counted days left of life.

Biutiful has been getting a lot of positive buzz from everywhere, including american critic awards that place it among the top 5 best foreign films of the year and the golden globes, and I find it difficult to believe that the Academy Awards won't do the same. Let me just start off by saying I'm a fan of Iñárritu's past work, I think both Babel and 21 Grams are amazing films, and that Amores Perros has been Mexico's best bet for an award together with Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. 

Iñárritu is an impeccable director, he can get very strong performances from his cast and has a very powerful way of expressing feelings through his shots. He brings scripts to life and creates really strong emotional atmospheres in which it is truly hard not to get caught on. And Biutiful is not the exception, the film comes out very strong and powerful and will suck you into its mood right from the start.

Strangely, this time around, I was not a fan of getting immersed into Iñárritu's world. Biutiful has got to be one of the most depressing films in history, no kidding. It was dark and seriously sad. I'm a fan of drama, but this movie really gets you down, I mean, you feel so bad for the characters, it actually hurts. A LOT. Still, not even I can deny the fact that this movie's entire direction, acting (Bardem is brilliant), art, music and screenplay (most of it) are simply amazing, Iñárritu really knows how to do a work of art, and in that he succeeds once again.

But when it comes to personal taste, I wouldn't dare come near this movie again, as it was definitely not of my liking. As I said, I found it to be too dark, slow and depressing for my taste, not to mention that it eventually feels kind of long. And as a fan of this director, I think his previous work is way superior, I really enjoy how he manages to interlace several characters and stories in one film, and this time that was certainly missing. I know he can't always do similar work, but I'm just saying I prefered that over this.

Finally I would like to add that as a Mexican, I'm proud of Iñárritu's success with this film, but I believe that he, as other mexican filmmakers, can deliver something even bigger, stronger and more beautiful to compete for international awards. Still, this is an impressive achievement, and that won't pass unnoticed.

STORY 75

DIRECTION 85

ACTING 90

ART, MUSIC & VISUALS 90

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 50

OVERALL 78

by lui mogenno