Biutiful
In my mind, Sofia Coppola is the exact opposite of Gonzalez Inarritu. One of them shows the harsh reality of the socially underprivileged, the other one is mostly confined in a world of estrangement and detachment, but the kind that would only show up if you have no financial worries.
On top of that, in both their cases, it’s been a very, very long time since I saw their last movies. I saw “21 Grams” in 2008 and “Marie Antoinette” in 2007, and I saw the other Coppola movies even before that, before I even started this blog. I was practically a child when I saw them, or at least so it feels when I go back looking at my impressions.
In every one of Gonzalz Inarritu’s movies, there are characters living in a third world country or practically living the lifestyle of one; “Biutiful” is no different from that. However, Gonzalez Inarritu went back to the simplicity linear story-telling but not without forsaking the poetry of his directing. Unlike most of his other films, “Biutiful” lies on a single character played by Javier Bardem, and he most definitely the best Spanish actor out there.
Uxbal is awesome. He’s definitely the film’s most interesting character, especially his wife and family. It’s too bad the majority of the other characters are rather bland. The illegal immigrants he is trying to help are all either incapable or angry or just portrayed in an odd way, as if everybody is just a pawn in the board. It comes off as somewhat less believable than in “Babel”; though this is not too surprising, the film focuses on the character on Uxbal, and rightfully so.
I felt a slight emotional detachment to the film at first. Just like I probably wouldn’t get rich people’s ennui, I cannot fully feel empathy with these characters, because I am nothing like them. Nobody in my family has ever had to live as workers in such conditions; they were either merchants, academics or peasants who led a simple, but not miserable or humanly degrading life.
But death is ubiquitous. The first most fascinating scene is the one in which Uxbal sees his father who died when he was younger than he is. That is absolutely fascinating. The other one is the point at which Uxbal discovers that the Chinese immigrants died. That was more touching than anything Gonzalez Inarritu has ever done before.
Somebody described “Still Walking” as a film in which people are trying to find love amidst all the struggle. I only saw the hatred in that film. In reality, the description fits “Biutiful” perfectly. Yes, the movie is sad and bleak and everything, and certainly that is its biggest weakness, but at the same time, the tiny bits of humor and affection thrown in show how love is in all of this.
However, all in all, I think I am less impressed by this film than I was when I saw “Amores Perros” or “Babel”. But this movie is so beautifully sad without any of his previous pretentiousness, it’s as if Gonzalez Inarritu grew out of his megalomania and decided to make a great movie.
You have pretty much the same opinion that I had about it. The scene, in which the Chinese immigrants are found by the shore, is so intense… (Intense is not the right word, it feels wrong.)
I’m glad you liked it.
I think it’s the right word… For me, I completely failed at understanding that scene. I thought it was a metaphoric imagery somehow, because it was also eerily beautiful. I totally didn’t realize that it was the actual bodies on the shore! Very silly.
This is the kind of film I didn’t expect I’d like. I mean, it is clearly darker and more depressing than anything else he has done and I am usually no fan of Hiob stories without redemption. It’s quite impressive that I liked the film after all.
Yeah, right? It’s more realistic – and probably is, especially because it misses some of the creativity in terms of visuals and even though it even includes some spirituality.
I really liked how you see the stranding of some whales on the shore on a television a long time before the immigrants are found. That turned it into an even more bizarre image for me.
The dead whales are most often victims of mankind too…
Maybe “Biutiful” really is less creative. After all, his nonlinear story-telling and ultra-stylish visuals were his trademarks. (Haha, ™!) But it’s still artsy and beautifully poetic, so I didn’t really mind.