Biutiful (2010)

 Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Rated: R

Length: 148 min.

This incredibly heartbreaking tale of the difficulties of raising a family while facing multiple obstacles along the way makes for an endearing conclusion to an exceptionally well-made film. Javier Bardem (Uxbal) has a few more lines than he did in his Oscar winning performance in No Country For Old Men, (which unlike the rest of the world I find to be highly overrated); he really shows the audience his versatility in this film and I now have much more respect for him as an actor. Although this is one of the saddest films I have seen in quite some time, I could not draw my eyes away from the screen for one single moment during its progression. The director of this film, Alejandro González Iñárritu does a wonderful job of displaying the emotions of the characters as they are frequently changing throughout the film. At film's end, you feel a sense of pity for Bardem for the situation he has been put in, and yet you are almost relieved to find him in a final state of peace. Fantastic film overall, but not one for a romantic dinner and movie type evening; more along the lines of a solitary viewing with the hope that you will appreciate the sincerity of the film's direction and come to sense the emotional reaction Iñárritu was trying to abstract from the audience. Biutiful.