User Reviews

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is an interesting film that doesn't manage to be completely coherent. I watched behind the scenes videos and Q&As with Alejandro González Iñárritu and a video that explained the ending. With that I can rate and review this film, more than a week later I watched it. I think it's definitely well-written at times, but it feels stitched together. I felt like he wanted to put everything into this movie and it just doesn't feel complete because of that. The directing is good and the cinematography too, even though I don't think the camera movement style matched the environment. Speaking of which, it's probably the best aspect. It's so diverse and it always looks good, which is also helped by the visual effects. The score is another thing I loved and the acting is just spectacular. BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a film that didn't fully work for me, but I'm also definitely not the targeted audience.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

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.

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.

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.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

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.

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.

A borderline plotless pointless film that's futilely random and bizarre for art's sake and has almost no sense of direction. Great cinematography but that's about it. Easily Alejandro G. Inarritu's weakest film to date.

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.

What happens between lives? That’s hard to say. In fact, those who go through the experience may not even realize that they’re going through it when they do. They just might feel out of sorts or, more precisely, out of touch with the reality they’ve come to know so well. However, they could begin to realize and understand what’s unfolding when they start assessing aspects of themselves to which they may not have previously given much consideration. Suddenly bells begin to go off when they introspectively examine matters like personal integrity; relationships with family, friends, colleagues and significant others; regrets and accomplishments; fulfilling one’s potential; and what one might have done differently. If that sounds like the prototypical life review that so many spiritual schools of thought talk about, you could actually be on to something. But will you appreciate the insights that come from it? That’s what an aging, respected Mexican journalist/documentary filmmaker experiences in this latest offering from writer-director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Drawing upon themes discussed in some of his earlier works, such as “Biutiful” (2010) and “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (2014), the auteur takes things a step further in this outing, employing his signature flamboyant (some would say self-indulgent) style of filming and storytelling, though this time he places it on steroids. But what more fitting tactic could there be for a narrative set in the bardo, the world between worlds where, according to some Buddhist circles, we undergo the very process described here, only with abilities and perception skills far more advanced than what we make use of on the physical plane. It’s a place/state of mind where individuals like the protagonist can allow their imaginations to run wild in the process of conducting the aforementioned analysis. The result is an eye-opening experience for the film’s principal, not to mention viewers. One gets the sense that there’s a lot of the director in his central character, too, which is why the material presented here often feels intensely personal. That’s also probably what accounts somewhat for the picture’s length, coming in at a runtime of 200, somewhat protracted for a story of this nature. That’s especially true for much of the first hour, which could have been cut significantly without losing much (had the director done so, this probably would have received a higher rating). But, once this release finds its stride, it truly takes off as a great piece of cinema – one that’s inventive, gorgeous to look at and well-acted and has something to say to boot. What more could a movie lover ask for? Iñárritu really is in his element here, at least for much of the final 90+ minutes, and that’s more than good enough for me. Even though this offering probably won’t appeal to everyone, I’d certainly love to see moviegoers give this one a fair shot. It deserves it – and so do you.

long? Sure, but Pretentious? We are talking about Iñárritu, obviously it will be, and precisely that makes Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths shine, being such a visually dazzling experience for its editing, cinematography and production design but at the same time shining in the script, the direction of Iñárritu and the excellent performance of Cacho

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.