Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A powerful narrative: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Biutiful


This director, Mr. Inarritu, has had a profound affect on me the last few weeks.  When is the last time you saw a movie where you can't stop thinking about the characters?  The story in Biutiful moved me so much that I really have a hard time expressing all the emotions I had when watching the movie.  It is the story of a man who in some ways should not be a "hero" to us.  He's working in a very dubious occupation, and has many conflicts and troubles in his life.  Yet somehow his struggle to take care of his son and daughter feels like all of our struggle.

Most movies today are knock offs.  They are sold to Hollywood saying, "Hey, this is just like Superbad!"  And then they get the movie made because producers think it will be successful.  But what we lack in this formula is movies that truly are original and make us think and feel deeply.  We get a shallow form of storytelling and very superficial story lines and characters.  Think basically any movie by Jerry Bruckheimer and you will know what I mean!

This movie restores my faith in surprise, mystery, and the depths of the human experience.  It is hard to quantify in a way.  It's in Spanish so you have to read subtitles if you don't know Spanish.  That will be too much for some people.  It's about a man who finds out he is dying and faces some crazy tough situations.  That will be too much for some people.  But in my view, what it is really ultimately about is the power of love, friendship, and family.  I wept both tears of bitterness and happiness in watching this movie, and I'm not the least bit ashamed of that.  It felt real and I was fully connected to the characters.

I can't express enough admiration and gratitude to Mr. Inarritu for making this movie, and if you have the patience and interest, I think it will really be worth your time to watch it.  It is available on Netflick and many other places.

All best,

Mike

Here is an interview that the film's star did about the film:

http://collider.com/javier-bardem-interview-biutiful/66745/

Here are photos from the film, and of the director:

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing, I will have to watch the trailer and see how it looks. I enjoy movies that stick, too.

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