Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. [imdb]Nominated for 2 Oscars:
Best Actor: Javier Bardem
Best Foreign Language Film: Mexico
First of all, why was this film nominated for Mexico, when it all takes place in Spain? I get it: the director is Mexican, but otherwise there's hardly a connection. On the film itself: it's a special one that I'm sure it gets better in time. I understand why some don't like it, but I fell for it, especially for the second half.
Javier Bardem is, of course, fantastic! He starts on the right foot giving a subtle, quiet performance that turns spectacular as we're heading towards the end. There's a scene with him giving the two magic stones to his children - really touching and emotional and beautifully acted. The film itself is slow at first, but after the first hour I was really engaged. Inarritu does a good job afterall, with an incredible care for details; the cinematography also stands out.
My rating for the film: 8/10. The scenes with the wife were uncomfortable, I wish there were less of those.
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I though Maricel Alvarez did a very credible job with a role that could have easily been horrible, carefully walking that tightrope between the potential pitfalls for the role.
ReplyDeleteThat said I do need to watch this again.
well, she WAS credible, but I guess I just wasn't interested in the character. I was more attracted to the supernatural storyline and story with the workers.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, but the film definitely looks very miserable. Was it that much of a downer?
ReplyDeletejust a bit. I was more taken with the supernatural elements.
ReplyDelete