Biutiful

Biutiful is a film directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. He's a well established directors whose made non-linear films like: 21 Grams, Amores Perros, and the acclaimed Babel. All of his films deal with sin, guilt, and (for lack of a better term) shit happening. Biutiful is no exception to the obsession with these themes, and it's a difficult and contemplative film. I do not like it or have much affection for it, but it is a good film. Actually, the film is so effective that it is impossible for me to have affection for it. It is such a devastating and heavy film that it is at times unbearable. It follows a low level criminal named Uxbal (Javier Bardem) whose wife is nuts, kids are needy, and work is falling apart. To make things worse, he's dying of cancer. We see a man who wants to do good despite the bad things he's done. He's a good father, a good man, but he's bogged down by the past and the looming future. In one scene where he tries to help a group of chinese workers, he fucks up because he wants to save some money, and the worst happens. We see Uxbal go from bad to worse, and as all these terrible things build up, he reaches a breaking point. However, this breaking point won't even matter, for soon, he will be dead. Biutiful is at times a gorgeous and heartbreaking film, accentuated by the great performance of Javier Bardem, who evokes sadness and desolation better than most actors using his face alone. The film is admittedly too long, and at times it drags, but in the end, it appears as if there is some hope in Biutiful. It shatters the world and then suggests all might not be lost in a great scene at the very beginning, and at the very end. Biutiful is by no means a great film for Iñárritu to make, and I fear he lets his personal involvement with the movie lessen some of its translation to an audience from shots exclusive to him. That being said, it's a good film.
Biutiful: ✰✰✰