Biutiful (***)

Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella, Eduard Fernández, Cheikh Ndiaye, Diaryatou Daff, Cheng Tai Shen, Lang Sofia Lin

Seen: 22nd July 2011

*** Out of ****

Uxbal (Bardem) is a middle aged father of two, trying his best to suffieciently care for his 10-year old daughter Ana (Bouchaib) and 6-year old son Mateo (Estrella). He’s a strict father but it all falls in reason with regular frustrated anger outbursts quickly quelled again in moments of afterthought. He’s separated from his wife, Marambra (Alvarez), who watches the kids now and then when needed, but who also suffers from bipolarity. Uxbal has a gift that is, in the 148 minutes runtime of the movie, only hinted at in small scenes, but that definitely plays a role – he can somehow see and/or communicate with the recently departed, and he uses this gift to make the odd bit of money on the side. He’s also involved with illegal street vendors, whom he protects from the police by bribing a very obnoxious young official, and on yet another front part of an illegal immigrant “work program” with two Chinese men, with not too much trust wasted in all these circles. Uxbal also finds out that he has cancer, and will likely not survive another six months.

Uxbal navigates this most complicated situation with unexpected grace, managing somehow to not lose all humanity, even if other characters insinuate it. He has to protect his children from his wife, protect the Chinese workers from deportation, shield the illegal vendors from the police even though they refuse to adhere to the sketchy rules put in place, console those who just lost a loved one, try to successfully navigate the minefield his wife represents and deal with his brother in the cremation of their father; who was mummified and buried before Uxbal was born, and whose body lies in a graveyard which has become the site of a new building development.

To understand Biutiful I believe a small knowledge of the Spanish cultural scene is necessary along with some knowledge regarding the human psyche. I was lucky enough to have gone on holiday in Spain, and particularly in Barcelona where this movie was filmed ten weeks ago, and if not for that experience, a lot of the small details may have been lost on me. I have also been unlucky enough to have seen bipolarity in its cruel glory, and I have to say the movie has a great grasp on it in Marambra, Uxbal’s loving but dangerous wife. Uxbal gives his home to Ige (Daff), wife to Ekweme, one of the illegal vendors for a while, but is eventually forced to move back in. The moments of her caring for him when he starts getting real sick are especially tender and surprisingly touching.

The Barcelona of Biutiful is not the Barcelona the Spanish Tourism Council would displayed, as famous landmarks (Las Ramblas, Sagrada Familia) are only glimpsed through seedier parts of Barcelona (among other a particularly disturbing strip bar/night club). The movie is packed full of symbolism, liberally added in visual and plot elements throughout. Javier Bardem is a fantastic actor, and he shows it once again here in a role as far away from Anton Chigurh (his character in the brilliant No Country for Old Men) as you can imagine. His stony demeanour with occasional angry outbursts or humane displays of true feeling seeping through communicates a complex character perfectly. The movie is also beautifully bookended by two similar scenes a generation apart, which, although the first 90 to 100 minutes of the movie feels like it drags far too much, really redeems the movie and lifts it up a level. It is very heavy handed and often depressing drama, and not many will necessarily appreciate it, but Biutiful (the name of the movie coming from another very poignant moment) is a good movie and a great achievement, one which Bardem and Iñárritu can be proud of.