Biutiful

For me, this movie was the definition of hard to watch. I think what I liked most about it was that all of the characters, as depraved as they may be, are sympathetic. You feel something for every single one of them, which makes it particularly difficult when terrible things happen to them.

One thing that bothered me consistently was the hair. Are mullets particularly cool in Spain? I don't know, but both Uxbal (Javier Bardem's character) and his son are rocking them, and it makes me want to take a pair of scissors to the screen. Uxbal's dad on the other hand, is attractive in the extreme. Unfortunately, that has little effect on the film.

The cinematography is fittingly gorgeous, and the acting, on all sides, is amazing. If it were up to me, Javier Bardem would surely be taking home an Oscar. This is not a feel-good movie. You will leave the theater feeling like crap. But it is absolutely Biutiful.