Biutiful

BIUTIFUL (15)
D: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu
LD Entertainment (Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Jon Kilik, Fernando Bovaira, Ann Ruark & Sandra Hermida)
Spain/Mexico 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 2010
147 mins

Drama

W: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Armando Bo & Nicolas Giacabone
DP: Rodrigo Prieto
Ed: Stephen Mirrione
Mus: Gustavo Santaolalla

Javier Bardem (Uxbal), Maricel Alvarez (Marambra), Hanaa Bouchaib (Ana), Guillermo Estrella (Mateo)

Javier Bardem delivers a fantastic performance in this Spanish drama.
He plays Uxbal, a father of two young children who earns his money via criminal means, managing a group of illegal immigrants who manufacture and sell counterfeit products on the streets of Barcelona.
Upon receiving the news that he is suffering from terminal illness, Uxbal tries to do what's right for both his children and his employees as his days are running out.
Beautifully filmed by director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and his crew, though the length could have done with being trimmed by 20-30 minutes.
Unless you're not a fan of foreign language cinema, this is certainly worth a watch.
6/10

Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Did You Know:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu wrote the role of Uxbal specifically for Javier Bardem. The director said that when Uxbal first came into his mind, Bardem was the only choice that made sense.
The resulting Oscar nomination that the actor received marked the first time that a performance entirely in the Spanish language was nominated for an Academy Award.