Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Based on a story by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu,Biutiful is a contender for the upcoming Oscars,including a Best Actor nomination for Javier Bardem.
Uxbal,a petty criminal in Barcelona,is told by his doctor he has very little time to live. He works as an agent for fake luxury items. Umbels life is a mess. He is separated from his wife and has two sons to care for. He is under pressure from the syndicate about the living conditions of the illegal immigrants. One wrong call on his part results in the deaths of his workers. Hes devastated. As his life draws to a close there are arrangements to be made,including compensating,Ige,the childrens nanny for her services.
Biutiful is one of those films which lingers long after you have seen it. It may even compel a second watch. A common man has rarely been depicted as authentically as he is in the film. Uxbal is very real and resonates with emotions and guilt.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritus camera follows Uxbal in his last days with tremendous intimacy; it depicts his seamy street life,that is replete with colourful characters with as much passion as the quieter suffering moments. What is exemplary is that Biutifuls characters are dignified,have feelings and reasons,and arent simply crime robots.
The presence of Javier Bardem is the onus. Bardem is an actor capable of wide ranging capabilities; he can be handsome,ugly,hard,tender or a monster. Here he suffers,is good at heart; he suffers because he cannot do good things.
Biutiful is marked by its taut script,pervasive direction and Bardems stirring performance. An authentic Oscar contender.
RATING:
One for direction. One for script and production values. One for Bardems performance.
