bnsw19 I first watched this film two years ago and it has been haunting me ever since; I watched it again last night... It's a bleak story beautifully told and there's the paradox. I consider it the second leg of Inarritu's stool of films - the first (Babel, Amores Perros, 21 Grams) was distinguished by elliptical, multi-layered story-telling and the third (The Revenant, Birdman) by a linear narrative and this one by its earthy, implicit social commentary with a touch of magic realism. What makes it such a stand-out film for me are the dialogue/script - so natural and economical - the direction and production - one smells the sweat - and, above all, the acting - Bardem delivers the performance of a life-time. He deserves to be remembered for this (and The Sea Inside) above the pastiche Bond villain in Skyfall.

CinemaClown From the director of Amores Perros, 21 Grams & Babel, Biutiful is Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu's fourth feature film that has a poignant story, is intimately crafted & magnificently performed and yet, the film as a whole remains a largely underwhelming affair that's stuck on one level from start to finish & if it wasn't for Javier Bardem's remarkable performance, it'd have been long forgotten.Set in the underbelly of Barcelona, Biutiful tells the story of Uxbal; a deeply conflicted man who's struggling in every facet of life. Barely making enough money to take care of his two children & separated from his wife who suffers from bipolar disorder, Uxbal's life falls apart when he learns that he is diagnosed with terminal cancer which leads him to get his affairs in order before he's gone.Directed by Iñárritu, Biutiful is the least impressive effort of his film career. There are moments which exhibit excellence in bits n pieces but the manner in which its entire story is narrated is very dull. The 2.5 hours of runtime is deeply felt, supporting characters are not at all interesting & apart from Javier Bardem's emotionally devastating performance, there isn't much to like about it.On an overall scale, Biutiful explores the themes of fatherhood, guilt, love, spirituality & mortality and has a raw, evocative feel to it but its story nevertheless feels much contrived & isn't helped by its tedious direction, unrefined script, bleak ambiance, stagnant pace or dull editing. Bardem is absolutely flawless in his role but the same level of commitment is severely lacking from the rest of its cast & crew.

grantss Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's movies are either deep, insightful, moving works of art (eg Amores Perros, Babel) or dull and pretentious (21 Grams). Biutiful, unfortunately, falls in the latter category. It had potential (as did 21 Grams) but it soon becomes apparent that getting through it is going to be an ordeal, especially when you note that the running time is 148 minutes!The central plot could have been condensed into a tighter, more interesting, quicker-paced 90-100 minute movie. Instead it is drawn out to its maximum extent. Has its moments though, but they are few and far between.Solid performances but everyone seems to be acting in slow-motion, in keeping with the slow pace of the movie.Overall, a good cure for insomnia.

braddugg A painful story of a father, it's a great film but not an entertaining one so just beware of tears. There are a kind of painful movies that show the pain in face. This is a kind of movie that does not show pain and yet brings pain to those who witness it. The greatness of this movie goes to Javier Bardem, the actor who gives us an "into the skin" performance. He knows that he has to leave and he has to make preparations for his kids, and along with that he has to deal with so many issues. It's not an easy ride, this life it's of various challenges but we have to fight, overcome the obstacles, do what we want to do and then lay in peace. Though shot very finely there a raw appeal to the film. We can smell those Barcelona streets or the gas from that warehouse and even that pub that is there for some few minutes only. We can feel as being there alive in those places than mere spectators and thanks to the cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and the director Alejandro Inarritu for giving us a sublime piece of melancholy poetry. Each frame is detailed with emotions or the social condition of the characters and it just grows on by the end. It's a kind of film where may be half an hour into the film we keep our hankies handy to wipe out the tears or at least have the fists under the chin, coz it's not something we would like to see and yet we are made to see a few tragic realities. For this film, which is a rarity in terms of acting, I would give more credit to Javier Bardem for bringing life into the character and makes us feel. I am not sure if there is anyone who see this film and feels nothing for this father who is trapped with guilt of various crimes, fatherhood and a single parent who has to leave his wife. It's one of the least entertaining film though, coz there is no guns, no drugs, no nothing that causes pain except for deteriorating health that is terminal and invisible. I am thankful coz I got an opportunity to see it in a theatre while in Mexico, I did not get anything then, but still I did feel very sad. When I watched it today with those subtitles, I am happier for having understood a lot many details and yet the melancholy feeling gets back. But, what I get from this, is that we have to do our thing before being laid in peace, it's not just about getting married, raising family and dying off, it's more than that. We have our life, but we need to create a grave for ourselves in the world so that when we are gone there are a few who shall be proud for what we have done to them. A 4/5 for one of the finest acting displays by Bardem and a good movie. It may seem long at 150 minutes, but wait patiently coz every frame has something about it. Good editing I must say.Just to mention, was wondering if the director saw the telugu film "Matru Devo Bhava".