Movie Masterpiece: Biutiful

This movie has been on my watch-list for over a year now, bringing together some of the biggest names is Latin/Spanish Films. It is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, (21 Grams and Babel) and produced by his two pals Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron. It stars Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Vicky Christina Barcelona) as the driving force behind the story, and is backed with an incredible score from the guitarist, Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Motorcycle Diaries, Babel). With big names like this it should come as no surprise that this movie went above and beyond. It is a powerful film, that I recommend watching more than once to truly appreciate.

Biutiful is an emotional, character-driven story set in Barcelona. It revolves around the extremely complex character of Uxibal, played by Javier Bardem. Uxibal is the father of two children, has a bipolar ex-wife, works as an underground middleman, communicates with dead spirits, and to add to all this he is dying of cancer. His face is pale, with a lifeless expression, and he grows weaker throughout the film. Yet throughout his pain, he is constantly thinking of others, setting his affairs straight before he crosses over to the other side. Bardem gives an Oscar-worthy performance, portraying this complex, dying character. 

The filming style is quite similar to Babel; with an intricate storyline, cross-cultural settings and characters, poetic lines, and massive mood swings. In the midst of this depressing story, Inarritu often delivers sudden spikes of happiness, such as a birthday celebration or an abstract nightclub party; quite similar to the flashy one in Babel. These mood swings are enhanced all the further by Santaolalla’s musical style of sentimental minimalism. 

Yet the finest sequence came at the end of the movie, where we witness Uxibal’s slow transition from life to death. This same sequence was played at the beginning of the film, yet has a far greater emotional power at the end. Bardem lies on a bed next to his daughter, speaking of past memories, while he slowly fades away. Inarritu does a masterful job in demonstrating the journey from life into death. This transition takes place through Uxibal's eyes as well as a sharp contrast in the color of his face. The viewer is slowly transported from Uxibal's bedroom to a winter forest, representing heaven. In the forest, Uxibal stands with his father, laughing and telling jokes. It is an extremely artistic sequence, a masterful ending that is quite deserving of its title, “Biutiful”.