“Bardo (False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths)” hit the Lido at the Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival earlier this month, Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s first movie since “The Revenant.” But those screenings are now a test-run for Iñárritu’s latest. Indiewire reports that in the lead-up to more festival dates and the film’s premiere on Netflix, the director has trimmed 22 minutes from “Bardo,” bringing its runtime down to 2 hours and 32 minutes without credits.
The first time I saw my film was with 2,000 people in Venice,” Iñárritu told the outlet over Zoom. “That was a nice opportunity to see it and learn about things that could benefit from being tied up a bit, add one scene that never arrived on time, and move the order of one or two things. Little by little, I tightened it, and I am very excited about it.” And the process isn’t over yet. “Honestly, I will keep doing this until it’s released to get the best film while I can,” he continued. “You never finish a film. The deadlines just ask you to deliver it.”
So, what prompted the edits, the movie’s early mixed reception? Not quite, as Iñárritu will avoid any reviews of “Bardo” until he’s totally finished with the film. “I want to reaffirm that I have not read one single review for my healthy mental state,” he said. “There is nobody better than me who knows all the dots that connect and how they could connect better.” Instead, it’s more that Iñárritu is already known for tinkering with his movies after their world premieres. He did so with both “21 Grams” and “Babel” following their festival debuts. “If I could, I would keep editing the whole year,” the director said. “I would love to keep working with this film all my life.”
But is “Bardo” a different film now that Iñárritu has cut over twenty minutes from? Again, no, for the director, it’s more about tweaking certain scenes so the movie flows better. For instance, a prolonged dance floor sequence that serves as a major centerpiece for the movie remains untouched, while a small additional scene pads out the film’s protagonist a bit more. “Most of the film is in untouched,” Iñarritu said. “It was really about getting the internal rhythm of certain scenes right.” And that internal rhythm matters to Iñárritu more than the film’s final runtime. “I’ve seen films that are 80 minutes and too long,” he said, “or three-and-a-half hours and not too long at all. There is nothing more powerful than seeing the film with audiences. That’s what helped me.”
“Bardo” continues its festival circuit with London Film Festival and AFI Fest before Netflix gives the film a limited theatrical release on November 18. It then begins streaming on Netflix on December 16. And for Iñárritu, that’s the final deadline for the film, so you never know; he could keep trimming “Bardo” until its Netflix release. In the interim, watch the film’s new trailer below.
