Moral complexity is Alejandro González Iñárritu’s thing, whether in his native Mexico (Amores Perros), the United States (21 Grams), or in Morrocco and Japan (Babel). Leaving no continent unconquered (except, so far Australia, notwithstanding his employment of Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett), he’s set this in Barcelona, with Spaniard Javier Bardem as the lead, a single father hustling to earn enough money and prepare for his children’s uncertain future.
This has one of those beginnings that irritate me, with seemingly random scenes—an unseen couple whispering about a ring, a dreamy conversation in snowy woods—starting the film. Then we see Bardem nervous at a doctor’s office, “interpreting” for the dead at a funeral, negotiating over illegal street vendors, and so on. Somewhere in there is a half-naked woman make noise while another man tries to hush her up so he can talk on the phone. Yet this turns out to be not as tricky as it seems. For the first time, Iñárritu focuses mostly on a single character, although dancer turned actress Maricel Álvarez makes an impression as a woman whose mental health and drug issues have caused custody to be awarded to her ex-husband.
Bardem’s character is struggling with his own issues, both ethical and practical, and his crises in both areas, crises with little time to resolve, create an increasingly compelling narrative.
IMDB link
viewed 3/27/11 at Ritz 5 and reviewed 3/29/11
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