An early promo trailer has been unveiled of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Cannes entry “Biutiful.”
The film stars Javier Bardem as Uxbal, a former drug addict living in the fringes of Barcelona, Spain who has cancer and only two months to live. Amplifying his problems are, of course, his two kids, a part-time prostitute ex-wife who suffers from bipolar, African immigrants, gay Chinese lovers who supply his bootleg goods and his touchy relationship with a crooked cop. Yes, this is definitely an Iñárritu movie.
Our Cannes review described the picture as “impeccably acted, wonderfully shot and assuredly put together” but “simply a slog” that’s not particular interesting nor does it ever find “the central point from which he wants the audience to latch on to.” It’s also noted as featuring “some of the grimmest, most depressing material of his career” which wasn’t exactly rainbows and butterflies anyway. Bardem, though, is evidently “commanding, authoritative and grounds the film even when the story threatens to spin into the ridiculous.”
The film has split critics down the center with grades ranging the complete A to F making for what is already one of the biggest talking points of this year’s festival. It’ll probably see a fall release of some sort stateside with the varied opinion of the film and it’s effect on what sounds like award-season threatening performance by Bardem an interesting side note to it all. — Simon Dang
