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Special Features
• "The Making of Biutiful" documentary
• Theatrical trailer
• Theatrical trailer
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A heartbreakingly direct performance by Javier Bardem anchors Biutiful, a film from Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams). Uxbal (Bardem) is not an admirable man: he's a criminal middleman, helping human traffickers and illicit street peddlers in Barcelona. But in the thick of his corrupt and compromised world, Uxbal strives to do some modest good: he demands heaters for the cold basement where illegal Chinese laborers sleep and he carefully scrapes together money for his children, whom he deeply adores. On top of all this, Uxbal can commune with the recently dead, and tries to pass on reassurance to the bereaved. When Uxbal himself is diagnosed with severe cancer, he desperately tries to leave behind something better for his children. This plot summary paints a bleak picture, and there's no question this is--much like Iñárritu's other films, including Amores Perros--an emotionally harrowing experience. But Biutiful is also visually rich and deeply humane, and holds moments of grace that can only be found in sadness and loss. The entire cast brings a fullness of life to all of the characters, no matter how briefly they appear, but Bardem almost never leaves the screen and carries the movie with magnetic force. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem is Uxbal, a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad — or biutiful — in this unforgettable Academy Award®-nominated film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
106 of 113 people found the following review helpful
By A. S. W.
Format:Blu-ray
If Mr. Iñárritu went to 3 continents to film the great story of BABEL, his latest film, BIUTIFUL is bringing people from 3 continents to one amazing place; the underworld of Barcelona. I saw this well crafted art film a few days ago in Los Angeles (Mr.Iñárritu and Bradem were present) and wanted to share with you my take on this important, agonizing and remarkable picture. It will take you to places seldom explored by others, it will set in motion untapped feelings, it will make you hate or love it, it will make you talk about it.
Mr. Bardem is masterfully playing Uxbal and with him we slowly and painfully descend into Hades, human misery and his personal hell. The complex character of Uxbal is central for the film and through his journey we meet some of the most unusual characters, places and situations. There is an action/high energy scene of police chasing drug dealers in center of Barcelona, remarkably filmed by the very talented Rodrigo Prieto; it will stay with me for a long time.
Many call BIUTIFUL "a love story between a father and his children", but it is much much more than that. Maybe this line will sell a few extra tickets, but it is more about a extremely dysfunctional modern "accidental" family. The mother, Marambra is superbly played by newcomer Maricel Álvarez, and the children are ever so patient, innocent and understanding.
Kindness, hope, goodwill and humanity is not missing in Biutiful, it is ever-present in the daily dealings of Uxbal who's psyche we enter from the very beautiful and poetic beginning of the film.
See BIUTIFUL with an open heart and mind, let yourself go places you never wanted to go, places you only watch on the evening news.
My tag line for BIUTIFUL: "You don't choose your family. We all belong to somebody, but to belong to Uxbal and Marambra, is both a blessing and a curse."
Adam
Mr. Bardem is masterfully playing Uxbal and with him we slowly and painfully descend into Hades, human misery and his personal hell. The complex character of Uxbal is central for the film and through his journey we meet some of the most unusual characters, places and situations. There is an action/high energy scene of police chasing drug dealers in center of Barcelona, remarkably filmed by the very talented Rodrigo Prieto; it will stay with me for a long time.
Many call BIUTIFUL "a love story between a father and his children", but it is much much more than that. Maybe this line will sell a few extra tickets, but it is more about a extremely dysfunctional modern "accidental" family. The mother, Marambra is superbly played by newcomer Maricel Álvarez, and the children are ever so patient, innocent and understanding.
Kindness, hope, goodwill and humanity is not missing in Biutiful, it is ever-present in the daily dealings of Uxbal who's psyche we enter from the very beautiful and poetic beginning of the film.
See BIUTIFUL with an open heart and mind, let yourself go places you never wanted to go, places you only watch on the evening news.
My tag line for BIUTIFUL: "You don't choose your family. We all belong to somebody, but to belong to Uxbal and Marambra, is both a blessing and a curse."
Adam
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's all about death and dying. We can't get away from that, nor avoid it.
Most European directors take much longer to develop character in films than American directors. There are scenes in this film that wordlessly drag on, with panning shots that are longer than what American film directors recommend. But there is nothing wrong with that. This just means it takes longer to watch a European movie and this artpiece is no different.
Uxbal (Javier Bardem) plays the middleman for a counterfeit operation in Barcelona. He works for a few crooked Chinese who manipulate Africans and Chinese who come into the country illegally to work for pennies a day. Uxbal takes his share of the money but he also has a soft heart for the people who live in dark, musty cold basements.
His wife is a drug-dependent, bi-polar prostitute who only thinks about the next trick. Her goal in life is to have fun, despite her two children that love her very much. Unfortunately, Uxbal lovers her, too, and this uneven chemistry gleams throughout this movie.
We learn right away there is something wrong with Uxbal. He is in the late stages of prostate cancer, and his life is flashing him by throughout this movie. He lives what time he has left to redeem himself among the people he also took advantage of earlier, realizing there are many victims left behind doing the work that he does.
Shot in and around Barcelona's slums, there's a lot of touching cinematography in this movie. Smoggy city panoramas, gushing ocean waves, whispering cold mountain pines and loud street scenes that want to take over your auditory nerves. Take all that out and you have a more American-style movie with action and romp but less story and plot.
This is not a movie to watch when depressed, or while grieving the loss of a loved one. There is more to this movie than what I have just posted, but in the end of this 2:18 hour movie (not including the ten minutes of credits in the end), this is one movie that will haunt your senses for a while.
Crashing waves, whispering pines, dying owls that spit up hairballs. This is life in the real sense.
I rented this via the Amazon Instant Video. I had so many problems watching this movie without it constantly stopping to reload. This may be the last time I rent a movie this way. Great movie, horrible presentation.
Most European directors take much longer to develop character in films than American directors. There are scenes in this film that wordlessly drag on, with panning shots that are longer than what American film directors recommend. But there is nothing wrong with that. This just means it takes longer to watch a European movie and this artpiece is no different.
Uxbal (Javier Bardem) plays the middleman for a counterfeit operation in Barcelona. He works for a few crooked Chinese who manipulate Africans and Chinese who come into the country illegally to work for pennies a day. Uxbal takes his share of the money but he also has a soft heart for the people who live in dark, musty cold basements.
His wife is a drug-dependent, bi-polar prostitute who only thinks about the next trick. Her goal in life is to have fun, despite her two children that love her very much. Unfortunately, Uxbal lovers her, too, and this uneven chemistry gleams throughout this movie.
We learn right away there is something wrong with Uxbal. He is in the late stages of prostate cancer, and his life is flashing him by throughout this movie. He lives what time he has left to redeem himself among the people he also took advantage of earlier, realizing there are many victims left behind doing the work that he does.
Shot in and around Barcelona's slums, there's a lot of touching cinematography in this movie. Smoggy city panoramas, gushing ocean waves, whispering cold mountain pines and loud street scenes that want to take over your auditory nerves. Take all that out and you have a more American-style movie with action and romp but less story and plot.
This is not a movie to watch when depressed, or while grieving the loss of a loved one. There is more to this movie than what I have just posted, but in the end of this 2:18 hour movie (not including the ten minutes of credits in the end), this is one movie that will haunt your senses for a while.
Crashing waves, whispering pines, dying owls that spit up hairballs. This is life in the real sense.
I rented this via the Amazon Instant Video. I had so many problems watching this movie without it constantly stopping to reload. This may be the last time I rent a movie this way. Great movie, horrible presentation.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Innaritu's 4th Masterpiece. A Bleak tale of a thug nearing his end, his haunting visions of the dead, and his path to redemption
February 6, 2011
Format:Blu-ray
Alejandro Innaritu has directed 4 movies so far, Biutiful being the latest, and all 4 of them are solid. There is great substance in them all. Every film of his has several complex, interknit storylines, each with detailed narratives, and nuances. Innaritu potrays his astounding skill and capability of interlinking several of these, cumulating into an exhilarating panoramic vision, which is a feast to watch.
Innaritu has always casted great actors for his films, such as Gael Garcia in Babel & Amores Perros, Sean Penn & Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams and Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett & Rinko Kikuchi in Babel. Here, there has been much praise for Javier Bardem's potrayal of the low-life criminal, trying to make ends meet for his family, and nearing his death very soon, and it is all very well deserved. Javier Bardem is a remarkable actor, portraying his characters with simplicity, yet with layers of complexity.
*Might contain spoilers below*
The most interesting characteristic of his films, is the use of regional languages & characters to a very natural degree. Cheng Tai Shen, playing the role of the Chinese syndicate businessman, uses spanish and chinese with much fluency and ease, which I found remarkable. Just as captivating is the role played by Diaryatou Daff, of an african immigrant woman, who is caught in the disturbance of her husband's involvement in the underground drug racket, and his deportation.
The journey for Uxbal (Bardem) is devastating, and tragic, yet fulfilling in a way, since his transition into the afterlife is shown to be one of serene, his departure from his family implying painful repercussions, nonetheless, which is what the viewer is left to come to terms with, in the end.
Another element or tool which the director uses, concurrent to his previous films, is the use of the strong background score and music. Babel had excellent score from the maestro Gustavo Santaolalla, and so does Biutiful. The use of progressive dance tracks such as The Joker (ATFC Remix) by Fatboy Slim in Babel, and Shudder/King of Snake by Underworld in Biutiful, intensify the mood and atmosphere of the films, combined with remarkable camera-work and cinematography, reveal the underbelly of cities such as Japan, and Barcelona, where city-life is portrayed near perfectly, and contrasted with varying emotions that the characters feel.
This film, is as successful as it's predecessors, thanks to the gifted Innaritu, and his muse Bardem this time around, who have both wonderfully captured the nuances and depth of the characters and the intricate story that is the driving force behind this masterfully complex & captivating movie.
Innaritu has always casted great actors for his films, such as Gael Garcia in Babel & Amores Perros, Sean Penn & Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams and Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett & Rinko Kikuchi in Babel. Here, there has been much praise for Javier Bardem's potrayal of the low-life criminal, trying to make ends meet for his family, and nearing his death very soon, and it is all very well deserved. Javier Bardem is a remarkable actor, portraying his characters with simplicity, yet with layers of complexity.
*Might contain spoilers below*
The most interesting characteristic of his films, is the use of regional languages & characters to a very natural degree. Cheng Tai Shen, playing the role of the Chinese syndicate businessman, uses spanish and chinese with much fluency and ease, which I found remarkable. Just as captivating is the role played by Diaryatou Daff, of an african immigrant woman, who is caught in the disturbance of her husband's involvement in the underground drug racket, and his deportation.
The journey for Uxbal (Bardem) is devastating, and tragic, yet fulfilling in a way, since his transition into the afterlife is shown to be one of serene, his departure from his family implying painful repercussions, nonetheless, which is what the viewer is left to come to terms with, in the end.
Another element or tool which the director uses, concurrent to his previous films, is the use of the strong background score and music. Babel had excellent score from the maestro Gustavo Santaolalla, and so does Biutiful. The use of progressive dance tracks such as The Joker (ATFC Remix) by Fatboy Slim in Babel, and Shudder/King of Snake by Underworld in Biutiful, intensify the mood and atmosphere of the films, combined with remarkable camera-work and cinematography, reveal the underbelly of cities such as Japan, and Barcelona, where city-life is portrayed near perfectly, and contrasted with varying emotions that the characters feel.
This film, is as successful as it's predecessors, thanks to the gifted Innaritu, and his muse Bardem this time around, who have both wonderfully captured the nuances and depth of the characters and the intricate story that is the driving force behind this masterfully complex & captivating movie.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Need Your Thinking Cap
Javier is Biutiful and although the setting and the atmosphere of the film are at once violent and devastating, there is a warm and tender simplicity based on the character's love... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Dorothy M. Kellogg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bardem is a star
Bardem's performance is the best thing about this strange disjointed movie. After it was over you find yourself saying what was that ? Read more
Published 1 month ago by Torcgirl
5.0 out of 5 stars
dvd movie
I was glad I bought this movie, it is one you can watch more than one time and still enjoy seeing it again.
Published 2 months ago by Carol S Pfeiffer
1.0 out of 5 stars
Will not play the movie.
To return it I have to have the original receipt which I do not have. How can I return it?
Published 2 months ago by Bridget Ashley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life can be hard.
Dramatic movie . This movie is one that makes you think that when things are bad, thwy could get worse.
Published 2 months ago by Evelyn Fernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Intense Geographies
It at first seems odd that a film called Biutiful should appear so grim, showing us bleak workplaces, dirty living spaces, and grimy neighborhoods, capturing a world of struggle... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars
This movie.
I love this movie to begin with, but without reviewing the movie itself, it's a perfectly good DVD. As for the movie, if you like a good tearjerker and something that's going to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Leslie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Each customer may bring onboard one personal item (purse, briefcase,...
Each customer may bring onboard one personal item (purse, briefcase, laptop, etc.) plus one carry-on bag.
Your personal item must not exceed 18" L (45. Read more
Your personal item must not exceed 18" L (45. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L W Carpenter
3.0 out of 5 stars
where's a good meteor when you need one
I'm sorry, but if comic relief was good enough for Shakespeare it should be good enough for Inarritu. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. Monstuart
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full of Heart, Prophetic
I rented this film from our library "Foreign Film" rack many, many times and each time I have come away with a new take on the film. Finally I bought it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by womandwithdogs
