‘Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths‘ (original title is ‘Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades’), the 2022 film by Alejandro González Iñárritu, is one of those films that polarizes the opinions of both viewers and of critics. Some of them will be captivated, excited, immersed and amazed with its beauty and richness. Others will be irritated, bored and disappointed, left searching for the meaning of a rather unusual cinematic experience. From the start I will say that I belong to the first category – I liked the movie enormously. But it is not an easy film, nor a film that respects the canons and rules of commercial cinema. That is precisely why it should not be judged or valued according to these shablons.
The word ‘Bardo’ in the title originates in the language in which the Tibetan Buddhist texts are written and denotes the transitional period that exists in the Buddhist worldview between death and the next rebirth. The film can therefore be seen as a journey into a world suspended between existence and non-existence, a dream or a collection of dreams about a life that was. Some of these dreams are very real, however, and refer to the life of Silverio, the film’s lead character, a successful Mexican journalist who has been working and living in the United States for decades. The story could have been told in a realist style, but Iñárritu chose to present it as a series of episodes, each the size of a short film, that repeatedly slip into dreaminess, in the style and tradition of Latin American magical realism. A key to the whole concept is provided in the final episode, but until then viewers will be captivated by a lavish and original visual concept, a sequence of episodes and characters that ask questions about personal identity and relations between generations, about American-Mexican history and politics, about migrations and about the way current affairs are reflected in commercial television shows. The lead hero, whose biographical profile is very similar to that of the film director himself, is played by Daniel Giménez Cacho, an exceptional Mexican actor. The cast is overwhelmingly Mexican and the dominant language spoken is Spanish, although the film’s story is split between Mexico and the United States. The cast is excellently chosen and manages to create memorable and distinct identities, reaping the rewards of the ample time devoted to each character development.
The visual power of the film is exceptional and I look forward to seeing whether Darius Khondji‘s cinematography will convince the judges of the Academy Awards (this being the film’s only nomination). The entire production is highly polished, and many of the scenes will remain in the memory of the audiences both for their symbolism and aesthetic impact. But ‘Bardo‘ is also a very personal film, entering the category of films that are based on the biographies of their filmmakers, but rather than mirroring they distill them, which turn each of these movies into independent cinematic events. This is what Fellini did in ‘8 1/2’ and ‘Amarcord’, Bergman in ‘Fanny and Alexander’, Truffaut in ‘400 coups’ or Kenneth Branagh in ‘Belfast’. Most of them, however, returned to the periods of childhood or coming to age, while Iñárritu projected his own biography with the personal experiences and identity dilemmas into the character of Silverio, while addressing some of the critical issues of the world we live in and building an impressive cinematic edifice. This is not a film that can be ‘digested’ easily at a commercial viewing, although I think that visually those who see it in theaters are at an advantage. My opinion is that this film will grow over time and that in a while it will be considered a landmark movie and one of the most important films of Iñárritu‘s career.