

This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.
Acting
Bardem's face contains entire novels of pain
Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto finds beauty in Barcelona's shadows
Direction
Iñárritu ditches the puzzle-box for pure emotional devastation

Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bardem learned Spanish Sign Language for scenes with his deaf-mute friend; he performed most scenes in one continuous take to maintain emotional rawness.
Iñárritu filmed Biutiful immediately after the death of his own father — the spiritual séance sequences were his attempt to process unfinished conversations.