Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu , Mexico/Spain, 2010, 142 mins
Cast: Javier Bardem , Maricel Álvarez , Hanaa Bouchaib ,
Review by Francesca Neagle
“When owls die they spit hairballs out of their beaks”
Profound; pretentious; unfocussed? That opening quote certainly sets the scene for a laboured venture into one man’s gruelling existence and the seedy criminal underworld of Barcelona . Described by Iñárritu as being essentially a love story between a father and his children, Biutiful follows the final weeks in the life of conflicted, flawed man, Uxbal (Bardem). He’s without boundaries in both his love for his children and the corrupt dealings through which he earns his livelihood. Uxbal has cancer, his burdensome ex wife ( Álvarez ) is mentally unstabl e and sleeping with his brother and his psychic abilities mean his biggest mistakes haunt him. Despite this, he strives to have faith in the good in people. Perhaps ultimately too much.
Biutiful is unconvincing. It’s never entirely clear why Iñárritu thinks his protagonist is a hero, yet he works hard to make him one; just as Uxbal has the onerous task of finding positivity in a life far removed from hope, beauty and domestic bliss. The narrative is too complex, and weighed down by unnecessary sub-plots. One in particular, which leaves Uxbal responsible for the death of a roomful of immigrants, is long-winded in build-up and frustratingly obvious in outcome. Designed to make us sympathise with Uxbal, it conversely repels.
The consistent atmosphere of stylised decay holds our attention and the compelling Bardem keeps us watching. There are some remarkable individual scenes, one of which takes place in a nightclub, featuring some beautifully frenetic camerawork and snatched disconnected dialogue, all of which serve as an impressive metaphor. Illusions and imaginings throng throughout the film, never more so than at its gentle and uncertain conclusion. Uxbal needs those he has faith in to come through for him, yet it’s hard to feel that Iñárritu has come through for us .
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