Review of Biutiful (2010) by Ryan M — 03 Jun 2011

8.4/10.

"Biutiful", the new film from Spanish director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, plays out as some kind of test. A test of patience, a test of morality, or be it a test of our ability to perceive a film; "Biutiful" never stops testing in its decently lengthy running time. It's as ambitious and bold as any other Inarritu feature, and about as good as one too. Inarritu has made one of his best films yet with "Biutiful", which is as dreary as modern movies get.

Movies are seldom depressing and bleak because that is not the kind of film that most people want to watch. Thus, "Biutiful" is a movie that most move-goers and movie-watchers alike will not want to see once, much less twice. It is an almost silent portrayal of overbearing sadness, and barrages the viewer with a relentless feeling of emptiness and sorrow. This is not cinema meant to entertain, or to please anyone. This is cinema meant to provoke, and to make the viewer feel. If this is indeed the case, then I must admit, "Biutiful" does its job rather well.

But of course, it does not do this job without being one of the single most depressing films I've ever seen. The plot concerns Uxbal (Javier Bardem, of "No Country for Old Men" fame), a man who has so many shit situations on his hands, to the point where it all accumulates to one big situation that a certain four letter word cannot possibly describe. His wife is bipolar, and thus they have decided to not live together. Uxbal's children have taken this life-style to negative levels, as the separation has clearly affected them for the worst. And then there's Uxbal's sympathy for the illegal immigrants. He wishes for them not to be deported, and he takes it upon himself to make sure that this does not happen.

Perhaps I should also mention that Uxbal has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he is slowly counting down the days to his death. I do not think that Uxbal anticipates the day when he kicks the bucket, although he is stressful in preparing his children for this day. He also struggles to keep this diagnosis a secret from them, for as long as he can manage.

This is a complicated story about complicated things. The presence of Uxbal is depressing and bleak enough. Yet I shall not call the character unlikable. I say this because, through all his struggles, there's still some essential decency within me that allows me to be sympathetic towards this character. I suppose, in some context, I must thank Bardem for that. His performance allows us to care about Uxbal to the point where we "feel" the guy; or at least feel for him. This may not happen for everyone. Correction: this WILL not happen for everyone. But "Biutiful" has something that most films don't have: a heart...a brain...and another knock-out performance from a down-right wonderful performer.

The film sets a mood that I would not normally ponder caring about. Yet, depression, anxiety, and the fear of death are underlying themes of "Biutiful", and they are ones that shall only appeal to those with open minds. "Biutiful" is not a film that I would recommend to everyone, as it absolutely, positively does not seek to entertain, and therefore it does not. However, I have endless amounts of respect for the film, it is flawlessly made, and the production itself is very personal (to director Inarritu). If you don't like it, then that's just you as a movie-goer. I don't blame you for anything.

Yet, "Biutiful" lives up to its name- or at least the pronunciation of its name. It is a beautiful film; poetic, wonderfully told, and nigh unforgettable. I expect that I will watch it again in the future. I am not one of the movie-watchers who finds the experience absolutely unbearable. I can sympathize for the people who hate the film as much as I can for those who really admire it; because for a moment there, I was nearly torn between not liking the film and really liking it. I made a decision; I chose. There is more humanity in the bleak and ambitious "Biutiful" than there is in more appealing, less slow-moving flicks. But those are flicks. "Biutiful" is not a flick. It is- and I say this out of all respect within me- a film.