Biutiful

I am a huge fan of Spanish cinema and as a lover of all things Spanish, it is always a must to see the latest export in cinema. Thankfully, living in Edinburgh this is quite easy and last night I went to the Filmhouse, an arty, independent cinema to see this masterpiece. I knew to expect a film brimming with artistic style, European cinema always does, nevertheless, this film blew me away. Javier Bardem's performance was seamless, completely capturing the attention of the audience ( everyone was completely silent and motionless ) and delivering a powerful story of life. The story is powerful, compelling, humorous, tragic and captures all the emotions of being alive. I particularly enjoyed the magical realism that Iñárritu adopted in the film, something that dominates Spanish literature, here it defined the magical elements that blur between the interior and exterior, presenting the spiritual and beautiful dimension in life. Although an intense 2 hours, this is a must see.