Review of Biutiful (2010) by Connor _ — 01 Jun 2011
Life is tough. That seems to be the message of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's films. With 'Amores Perros', he specifically meant love is tough. With '21 Grams', it was loss is tough.
Now, it's adulthood is tough. Life is not beautiful. Javier Bardem is an excellent choice to convey this message in the form of Spanish a single father/extortionist/racketeer/medium named Uxbal. He tries to raise his kids with love and discipline and honor and, in contradiction to his own parents, presence.
Once he finds out he is dying of cancer, he tries to pile up all the money he can find as quickly as possible. Inarritu's screenplays are always filled with lineless independent scenes that are windows into characters lives.
We often see Bardem's cancer symtoms showcased in this film. The supporting cast has relatively little screentime in contrast to Bardem, seeing as this film is a biography of Uxbal. With few lightweight and/or upbeat points in the film, Uxbal's life is portrayed as far from beautiful.
A-.
This review of Biutiful (2010) was written by Connor _ on 01 Jun 2011.
Biutiful has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
