Biutiful

Biutiful

I will not be surprised if this film wins an Oscar as the best foreign film .I would applaud if Javier Bardem won an Oscar as the best actor. He is beyond amazing. This is a dark film mainly shown in black, grey and white tones. Javier Bardem always reminds me of Humphrey Bogart. He has that rugged look. It is not handsome but he becomes so appealing. He is an outstanding actor. The cinematography is excellent. Sometimes the camera lingers on his craggy face. You see every pore and every nuance in his face. The director was masterful. I read that Bardem thinks director Inarritu is one of the great directors. Bardem claims that he knows where to put the camera. He knows how to hold silence. He also claims that he knows how to use music to the befit of the film. He also knows how to cut the film. All of this is so evident in this great film. It is one of the best I’ve seen this year.

We are taken in the backstreets of Barcelona that no tourist ever gets to see. Bardem plays the part of Uxbal a middle man between the slave workers in the factories producing copies of purses and the illegal workers selling them on the street.

I have been to Barcelona and have seen the countless numbers of illegal immigrants (from Africa) selling the purses on the sidewalk.

The Chinese workers in the factory also had a horrible tale to tell. They slept on the floor at the back of the factory. They were crowded and lived in the worst conditions possible.

All this would make you think Uxbal is a bad person. His livelihood was not positive but he also had a warm heart. He was so loving and caring of his two children. He was strict in many ways hoping to teach them to be good people. He also was fun to be with. They lived in a very poor apartment. He didn’t have a lot of money for food. One day he encouraged the children to fantasize about the food they really wished they had while eating a bowl of cereal. HE tried to make their lives better. He showed compassion for his ex-wife who is an alcoholic and suffers from depressions. She wonders in and out of the picture.

Uxbal discovers he is dying of cancer and tries to keep going so he can leave his children cared for.

He always looks like he hasn’t washed and his clothes seem to hang on him in a disheveled manner. His face shows the strain of his existence.

This is a magnificent film extremely well done.