THINGS TO CHECK OUT // BIUTIFUL
BY CASSADY DIXON
I have to stop over-thinking things before I commit to seeing a film. I missed seeing Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest, Biutiful, when it screened for one week at the end of December for awards contention. Now it’s back out, but I became wrecked with reminders of how much Iñárritu had disappointed me in the past. I loved Amores Perros, but quickly forgot 21 Grams and outright disliked Babel. The latter especially felt like the art-house version of a Michael Bay movie: all style, little substance. Fortunately my arm was twisted hard enough to shell out the $16 (not including parking) for a ticket at the ArcLight Theater in Hollywood.
The good news is if you liked the sprawling, multicultural epic vibe of Babel, it is retained here. However, the story is much more intimate so as to lure in people like me who thought that earlier film was a tad too weighty. Not to say Biutiful isn’t a headlong plunge into despair, but it is masterfully anchored by Javier Bardem. His tortured Job-like role feels as though it could veer off into overacting at a moment’s notice. Yet Bardem amazingly keeps his performance subtle and restrained throughout. I normally don’t go for acting showcases (cue 21 Grams), but this is poetry plain-and-simple.
Biutiful is not perfect. It could use some trimming on the back nine once Bardem’s character begins his slow descent towards the inevitable. However, the performances and Iñárritu’s deft visual flourishes make this a worthy big-screen experience. Moreover, rarely have we seen such a bleak underbelly of Barcelona before. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between its role in this film and the reality right outside the ArcLight where the sheen of Hollywood smacks right up against the more grim aspects of the street. In that regard, Biutiful is an opera for the downtrodden.