BIUTIFUL (Spanish) (2010)

Javier Bardem is the man and he’s the real beauty of dark and tragic Biutiful. Once again he played a remarkable character not so easy to pull. Once again he made us feel the inner pangs and pain of man who’s dying in few months; this time he’s not at all willingly wanted it, rather he wants to survive. It’s one of his most intense and award deserving performance. Never ever in a single frame, I feel the struggle of an actor here; instead he carried it all like a lone wolf.

It’s an existential drama of an upright man who’s in deep crisis, socially, economically, emotionally and physically. Uxbal is a responsible man; he is not only caring and responsible father but also concerning man for his workers too. He doesn’t want to die and still he has few months to survive and settle the things for his kids. The world around him is so ugly and seedy that he trusts no one except himself to play the responsibility for his kids and still he doesn’t let his children or anyone know his suffering end. Every day of his struggling existence adds new challenges and responsibilities along with personal life crisis. His separated wife working as massage girl and doesn't mind sleeping with Uxbal’s elder selfish brother Tito. It’s unbearable ugly world for Uxbal; he’s personal tragedy runs parallel to tragedy of his family and others and still he manages to get money anyhow for his own and others too. The struggling slow journey of his redemption is compelling and moving one and for that all credit goes to intense act by Javier Bardem. He truly deserves Oscar for this than any Colin Firth of the world!

Along with personal tragedy of Uxbal, Inarritu portrayed the deglamorised and dark picture of Europe that becoming burgeoning ghetto of multicultural world. He showed the critical face of it. Chinese and African people working and surviving in seedy ghettoes in Spain exploited by men of their own nationality or becoming victims of police raids. It’s place where they are unwanted and still they’re struggling for life. Unlike his shifting and non linear drama of other films, this is simply straight narration of Inarritu and one of the most moving one. I can’t resist tears watching the scene where near to climax Uxbal embraced his daughter who now knew the hidden tragedy of dear daddy. Inarritu avoided background score, what we hear is just occasional abstract and impromptu sounds of various instruments. So far it’s most touchy film he has made till day.

Ratings-8/10