Biutiful

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Country Mexico/Spain

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Biutiful tells the harrowing story of Uxbal, a crook and single father, who tries to draw together the strands of his life as his own death approaches.

Uxbal (Javier Bardem) lives in a run-down neighbourhood of Barcelona with his two children. His estranged and bipolar wife Marambra (a fantastic Maricel Álvarez) flits in and out of their lives. Uxbal tries to supports them through his criminal dealings with Senegalese and Chinese gangsters and a construction racket with his seedy playboy brother Tito (Eduard Fernández). Uxbal also makes money through his ability to communicate with the dead and ease them into the afterlife.

When Uxbal is told that he has cancer and only months to live he seeks to reconcile with his wife and secure a future for his children. But a drugs bust, a tragic sweatshop accident and his wife’s volatility push Uxbal over the edge. It’s unclear whether he can find a suitable carer for his vulnerable children. And as his physical condition deteriorates, ghosts of the deceased start to haunt him.

Biutiful is certainly a bleak film that some may find difficult to watch. While most of the scenes are riveting and incredibly shot by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (a drugs bust, a binge at a strip club, a child’s birthday party), others seem excessively morbid. Uxbal’s physical deterioration from prostrate cancer – we see him urinating blood several times – makes for unpleasant viewing. A clandestine gay affair between Chinese gang-leader Hai (Taisheng Cheng) and one of his cohorts does little to advance the story and many may find its inclusion (and violent end) puzzling. There is little levity in this film and audiences may find the characters’ relentless suffering hard to bear.

Still, this is Iñárritu’s intensely personal meditation on life and death, which starts and ends with a quiet beauty. And Javier Bardem’s stunning performance anchors the film, perfectly capturing Uxbal’s descent into chaos and his eventual redemption. Biutiful is dark, frenetic, and intense but ultimately rewarding.