‘Bardo’: Alejandro González Iñárritu Said It Was “Very Clear & Easy” To Know What To Cut For His New, Shorter Version

At this point, the drama surrounding the release of “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” overshadows the actual film itself. Everything started back at Venice, when the film premiered to some decidedly mixed reviews. The filmmaker responsible for the feature, Alejandro González Iñárritu, immediately started to claim there were racist undertones in the reviews and that the film wasn’t being viewed as objectively as it should. Then, the near-three-hour film was cut by 22 minutes, in an attempt to better package it for release to the mass public and possibly set it up for a strong awards run at the end of the year. Now, the film is finally playing in limited release ahead of its Netflix debut and sentiment surrounding “Bardo” is growing more positive with the new cut. 

READ MORE: ‘Bardo’ Review: Forget ‘Roma,’ Alejandro Iñárritu Wishes His ‘Handful of Truths,’ Was His’ 8 ½’ [Venice]

In a new interview with EW, Alejandro González Iñárritu talked a bit about the situation surrounding the Venice premiere of “Bardo” and explained why he felt the need to shave off 22 minutes from his epic drama. Basically, he was rushed for time to make the Venice premiere and wasn’t truly finished with the film. 

“I finished the film just two days before going to Venice, so I never had the chance to see it with an audience,” explained Iñárritu. “The first time that I saw it with audiences was in Venice. So for me, it was very clear in that moment in front of two thousand people that I had opportunities, without affecting the essence of the film, to make the same film but thinner. I felt that I could make some scenes tighter and get to the point faster, without really sacrificing anything at all.”

READ MORE: Alejandro G. Iñárritu Says There Is A “Racist Undercurrent” In The Negative Reviews Of ‘Bardo’

He continued, “For me, editing is an endless process that you can play with, especially with this film that is so open. I would have loved to have even more time, but I couldn’t. You have to release the film because of a festival date or the scheduled release. Anyway, I was very happy that I was able to really just feel that and put another couple of weeks of work in. It was very clear and easy for me to get to this cut, which I’m very happy with.”

In our initial review of “Bardo,” we ended up with some mixed thoughts, ultimately landing on a positive view of the film. So, perhaps with a new viewing, our feelings about the film will grow more. Either way, it does seem as if Iñárritu’s latest is primed and ready for a long awards season run. 

“Bardo” is in select theaters now and will hit Netflix on December 16.