Cannes Review Round-Up: Inarritu's "Biutiful"

The next film in the review round-up series is Biutiful, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu of Babel and 21 Grams. However, this is his first major project that isn't focused on fractured storylines, and is also the director's first film without screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, with whom he a had a falling out. So what does Cannes think of Inarritu's latest lushly shot downer? Well, like Babel, the results vary wildly. Time Out Chicago's Dave Calhoun writes that while the film benefits from being more central in focus, "Inarritu can't help but take his story down distracting roads," and that "the film is best when trying to understand Uxbal [Bardem] as a husband and father." Rope of Silicon's Brad Brevet is much more enthusiastic, awarding the film a solid 'A' grade, and saying that "Bardem is extraordinary as Uxbal" and "everyone involved deserves a round of applause." Anthony Kaufman of IFC has a slightly different take. He says that while "Inarritu and crew keep the proceedings restlessly alive" Bardem's Uxbal "isn't as compelling as he needs to be." Kaufman does make an interesting point about Inarritu's ability to generate intensity, though, writing that "the director clearly knows how to direct an action sequence, with a heart-thumping scene involving police chasing down illegal merchants through crowded plazas." Going back to the positive, Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter summarizes the film as "An impressionistic, poignant portrait of a man on the fringes of Barcelona, forced to relinquish earthly things before his time." He claims that Bardem delivers a "knockout performance," and praises the cinematography and score, but warns that the film "will require several viewings...to yield a complete portrait of its mysterious, flawed hero." Like most Inarritu films, we'll end on a slight downer. The Telegraph's Sukhdev Sandhu thinks that all of the pain forced on Bardem's character are signs that Inarritu is "laying it on a bit thick."

[current] Cannes Verdict: A powerful, well-made film that may test your suspension of disbelief when it comes to human suffering.