Sin #78: Life is Biutiful

Uxbal is a man with a lot of regrets. His failed marriage left him torn, alone to raise two small children who cling to him in an environment of poverty. In the streets he is involved with illicit activities aiding illegal immigrants in sweat shops. He also has a spiritual ability to speak to the dead, comforting the living as they mourn them.

Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s “Biutiful” focuses intently in the life of a man who is dying and, in his last days, is desperately trying to make a difference for the people around him. He loves his wife but regrets that he left her alone on her alcohol addiction. He cares about the Chinese immigrants even though he knows that their working conditions are deplorable. After he is diagnosed with cancer he tries to redeem himself from his sins.

“Biutiful” packs an emotional wallop because Iñarritu never gives up on Uxbal and also because he is blessed with having Javier Bardem playing him. Bardem is one of our great actors, capable of turning a character into a fully developed human being full of frailty and guilt (he has gone from a cold-blooded psychopath in “No Country for Old Men” to a charming womanizer in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”); as Uxbal he delivers an unforgettable performance (which will definitely be rewarded with an Academy nomination). Iñarritu has always been a director of great global ambition and soaring emotions; this is his great virtue and biggest flaw. For “Babel”, his 2006 take on misery spanning several countries, he created fascinating vignettes that somehow could never mesh together (they’re lovely short films in search of a bigger meaning). Some admired his audacity while others despised his pretentious and rather annoying way of creating tragedies for characters who really should know better (like the subplot with the Mexican nanny, for example).

I remember how his first film, “Amores Perros”, created a sort of revolution in the Mexican industry proving that Mexican cinema could rise above the crude comedies and stereotypical poverty stricken stories we were accustomed to in the previous decades. “Amores Perros” felt like a more reality grounded version of a Tarantino movie and its stories and characters became haunting and poignant (even though the movie is far from perfect; from a more-less weak middle story involving a woman in a wheelchair and her dog to the lengthy final story involving a retired hit man).

For his next film Iñarritu gathered an amazing cast highlighted by Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro in the drama “21 Grams” that features scenes of stunning emotional power lost a bit in a miasma of narrative gimmicks. For the first act, the movie feels jumbled and confusing and only gradually reveals its true intentions. “21 Grams” is a very good movie but somehow there’s a feeling that Iñarritu puts himself between his characters with his overt style.

His first three movies were close collaborations with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga but “Biutiful” represents Iñarritu’s first credit as a screenwriter (he does a good job with the material since it’s not very different thematically from his previous films). While some succeed better than others, all his movies are provocative works with astonishing performances.