SummaryAfter being named the recipient of a prestigious international award, Silverio, a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles, is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will push him to an existential limit.
Directed By:Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Written By:Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Metascore
Mixed or Average
55
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
32% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
59% Mixed
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
8% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Nov 17, 2022
100
It’s high minded stuff, but Iñárritu, has a knack for wrapping these ideas in movies that are well crafted and exciting to watch.
Nov 4, 2022
75
As an all-in-one viewing experience, Bardo is undeniably uneven, often maddening, and seems to have approximately 17 endings. Still, the movie is a marvel in its own way, dotted with pure cinephile delights and small unexpected pockets of profundity.
User score
Generally Favorable
64% Positive
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
31% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Dec 29, 2022
10
Bardo is an essay of the Mexican identity, and it delivers beautifully and accurate and, honestly, in a very entertaining way. Wonderfully done, masterfully crafted, with some poignant facts here and there. Highly recommended. The only reason critics hate this movie is because they don’t have the right context of Mexican culture and how it is represented in the movie, probably because most critics are not Mexicans. I strongly feel that if Iñarritu was from the US, and he talked about Trump and Fox News instead of Mexican Government and Televisa, they would praise him as the best film director and would instantly nominate him to best picture, screenplay, etc. etc.
Dec 27, 2022
10
Brilliant scenes, powerful images and a script that exposes the ego, fear and the constant contradiction of hitting and failing in the same thought. It is shameful that critics accuse the exhibition of philosophical reasoning as pretentious and applaud films that, with the excuse of entertaining, only numb reasoning.
Dec 22, 2022
60
The incomparable Daniel Giménez Cacho stars as Silverio Gama, giving an unforgettable performance that captures the intensity of the film’s concepts. While everything doesn’t always work in Bardo, Iñárritu takes his time painting a visually scrumptious tale even though it’s overly saturated with style over substance.
Sep 1, 2022
58
For all of the visual treats on display and for the moving moments that are better left unspoiled, nobody thought to withhold this director’s greater indulgences. And that is a shame — because when ‘Bardo’ hits the softer note it strives for, it’s really something to behold.
Sep 2, 2022
50
Iñárritu has always been heavy-handed but his attempt to be airier creates more areas to bloat. And it gets incredibly unwieldy at points.
Sep 3, 2022
40
Iñárritu, rather than answering them or leaving them provocatively unanswered (either one would be fine), does what he seems to do with most of his stories and ideas nowadays: He flings them around, roughs them up and rearranges them into an imposing, finally insufferable monument to his own awesomeness.
Sep 1, 2022
30
Whether talking to himself or talking at his audience as if delivering wisdom deserving of an inscription on stone tablets, Iñárritu has nothing new or interesting to say. He's established he can move a camera with astonishing fluidity as well as blur fantasy and reality seamlessly. Now what? "Bardo" is a film high on its own supply yet low on any sense of actual intrigue or intuition.
Nov 14, 2022
10
An All time Masterpiece, that will stay in my mind until the day i die, sutch and amazing experience that everyone who loves cinema should live, Bardo is not a film is an estate of mind, and a beautiful experience.
Jan 8, 2023
9
Cinematic. Historical. Philosophical. A directors Felliniesque vision of his life! All seen within the context of US and Mexico fraught relationship. Why a 9 instead of **** times some of the scenes needed editing and the film suffers by being to long.
Dec 21, 2022
6
Amazing sound and picture, i liked the magic realisim in the movie; but all of these get overshadowed by narcisism way of storytelling. Not able to fully engaged with many characters. By the way; this movie should be the reborn of mexican big productions.
Dec 19, 2022
6
Watching this film brings Fellini's autobiographical masterpiece 8½ to mind in style and approach. This is director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's personal examination of life as an artist and (in his case) a Mexican. The documentarian's existential crisis manifests itself in hallucinatory episodes that are sometimes a marvel (the baby sequence at apx. 1:58 is especially beautiful and moving) and other times just weird. More traditional dialogue sequences are interspersed to address his personal issues. This is an extremely self-centered film with some periods that try patience. Given some of the more spectacular stagings, it's obvious that Iñárritu's brilliance as a director is undeniable, even if you have to wade thru 2:39 for the good parts.
Nov 4, 2022
5
We should praise Iñárritu daring to make a film like this, knowing that many were going to destroy it for being "pretentious" or "insufferable" — something to which he even refers on several occasions —. And the truth is that it is; almost three hours of "self-fiction" in which the acclaimed Mexican director declares that the worst of his failures has been his success. Even so, the Malick, Sorrentino, and Fellini influence is worth noting, and at times the vibe takes you into this surreal world. Still, various phrases and situations feel embarrassing and immediately detach you from what could have been brilliant. The best part is the superb photography by Darius Khondji; the long takes, wide angles, and smooth camera movements contribute perfectly to creating that dreamlike atmosphere with which Iñárritu is so obsessed. Unfortunately, the movie has a hard time finishing and sustaining his speech, and many scenes are downright boring. What a waste.
Production Company:
- Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.
- Redrum
Release Date:Nov 4, 2022
Duration:2 h 39 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Experience a state of mind.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Ariel Awards, Mexico
• 8 Wins & 12 Nominations
Premios Canacine, MX
• 2 Wins & 6 Nominations
