Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu)

[pro-bassoonist]

Alejandro González Iñárritu's Biutiful has received a preliminary release date: May 16th. Courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment.

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Reelfilm:

Undoubtedly one of the most disappointing cinematic experiences to come around in quite some time, Biutiful follows Javier Bardem's Uxbal as he attempts to get his affairs in order after discovering that he has terminal cancer. Filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu has infused Biutiful with the feel of a rather conventional character study, with the growing realization that Uxbal simply isn't terribly interesting ensuring that the viewer's interest dwindles steadily over the course of the movie's aggressively overlong running time. (This is despite an expectedly strong performance from Bardem.) It is, as a result, impossible to work up any enthusiasm for the character's rather tedious day-to-day exploits, as Uxbal must contend with his flighty ex-wife, deal with shady Japanese sweatshop owners, etc, etc. Iñárritu's typically low-rent directorial style, which worked so well in his 2003 masterpiece 21 Grams, ultimately plays an integral role in cementing Biutiful's downfall, with the decision to emphasize locations of an almost unreasonably seedy nature contributing heavily to the film's atmosphere of relentless unpleasantness (ie this is undoubtedly one of the most visually unpleasant endeavors within recent memory). And although the movie does improve slightly in its final half hour as Uxbal is finally forced to confront his impending demise, Biutiful is, in the final analysis, a heartbreakingly misguided piece of work that doesn't possess even an ounce of the emotional resonance of 21 Grams or Babel.

Pro-B