Biutiful: Review

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu is a man who likes to push the boundaries of filmmaking and storytelling, and like his previous films, including Babel and 21 Grams, Biutiful deals with issues that are far more complex than most regular movies.

Uxbal is a man who works in the underworld of Barcelona. His position in life is to keep the police quiet as illegal immigrants work the streets with counterfeit purses and DVDs, made by the Chinese workers living in a damp, cold basement run by a Chinese syndicate. Uxbal soon finds that his life is more important now that he has been told he is dying of cancer and decides to make a better life for his two children by reconciling his position as a father and as a human being. However, no matter how hard he tries to make their life and everyone else life better, it often ends in tragedy and the sacrifices he makes seem to come to nothing.

As you can imagine, this is not a light-hearted tale but an examination of a man who might have made bad decisions all his life now having to make things right. Sometimes bleak, often harrowing the film is beautifully shot, even making the slums and darker underbelly of Spain look like a painting.

The problem is the film has so many issues running through it, it almost gets bogged down with its heaviness. Iñárritu is a master at making human dramas and changing time lines but he throws so much at the screen it sometimes loses its way. The one thing, however, that keeps it consistent, is Javier Bardem.

This is an exquisite performance that is so subtle and underplayed. It is almost like watching a masterclass of how to play the downtrodden anti-hero. This is a man we should really despise and yet we emote with him. He is a loving, doting father only looking out for the best interests of his children and he knows that life will soon be taken away, he is willing to try anything to right his wrongs and trust anyone with his belongings. Bardem never once drops his performance. On screen almost the whole way through, we follow his journey and are captivated by him. If this wasn't Colin Firth's year for the Oscar, then this could have been the one to win the golden statue.

Sometimes almost poetic, this is a weighty, somewhat depressing film that is still worth searching out for, especially if you want to see a masterful performance from an actor who seems to get better and better.