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Biutiful [Blu-ray]

Javier Bardem (Actor), Maricel Álvarez (Actor), Alejandro González Iñárritu (Director) Rated:
R
Format: Blu-ray
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 778 ratings
IMDb7.4/10.0
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May 31, 2011 		—
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$20.00 $2.92
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Biutiful (English Subtitled) — $7.99
Genre Drama
Format Subtitled, Widescreen, AC-3, Multiple Formats, Dolby, NTSC, DTS Surround Sound, Blu-ray
Contributor Javier Bardem, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Maricel Álvarez
Language English, Spanish
Runtime 2 hours and 27 minutes
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From the manufacturer

About the Company

Combining the STARZ premium global subscription platform with world-class motion picture and television studio operations, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) brings a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. Its film, television, subscription, location-based entertainment and interactive games businesses are backed by a 17,000-title library and one of the largest collections of film and television franchises. A digital age company driven by its entrepreneurial culture and commitment to innovation, the Lionsgate brand is synonymous with bold, original, relatable entertainment for the audiences it serves worldwide.

Lionsgate’s motion picture business is a consistent box office market share leader with films that have released worldwide over the past six years. This leadership is driven by world-class talent relationships, a deep and renewable portfolio of iconic brands and franchises, and a diverse and balanced slate that is built to enhance consumer enjoyment of the theatrical experience but also has the flexibility to utilize a broad range of alternative release strategies as the opportunities to monetize films continue to expand. The creator, owner and distributor of great film brands including The Hunger Games, Twilight Saga, John Wick, Now You See Me, Knives Out, La La Land, Saw, Dirty Dancing and Monster’s Ball, among many others, films released by Lionsgate and its predecessor companies have earned 129 Academy Award nominations and 32 Oscar wins.

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Product Description

Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem is Uxbal, a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad — or biutiful — in this unforgettable Academy Award®-nominated film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel).

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 0.01 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 94055506822
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Alejandro González Iñárritu
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen, AC-3, Multiple Formats, Dolby, NTSC, DTS Surround Sound, Blu-ray
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 27 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ May 31, 2011
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Roadside Attractions
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0041KKYFG
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 778 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
778 global ratings
Poetry of human suffering and redemption.
5 Stars
Poetry of human suffering and redemption.
If Mr. Iñárritu went to 3 continents to film the great story of BABEL, his latest film, BIUTIFUL is bringing people from 3 continents to one amazing place; the underworld of Barcelona. I saw this well crafted art film a few days ago in Los Angeles (Mr.Iñárritu and Bradem were present) and wanted to share with you my take on this important, agonizing and remarkable picture. It will take you to places seldom explored by others, it will set in motion untapped feelings, it will make you hate or love it, it will make you talk about it.Mr. Bardem is masterfully playing Uxbal and with him we slowly and painfully descend into Hades, human misery and his personal hell. The complex character of Uxbal is central for the film and through his journey we meet some of the most unusual characters, places and situations. There is an action/high energy scene of police chasing drug dealers in center of Barcelona, remarkably filmed by the very talented Rodrigo Prieto; it will stay with me for a long time.Many call BIUTIFUL "a love story between a father and his children", but it is much much more than that. Maybe this line will sell a few extra tickets, but it is more about a extremely dysfunctional modern "accidental" family. The mother, Marambra is superbly played by newcomer Maricel Álvarez, and the children are ever so patient, innocent and understanding.Kindness, hope, goodwill and humanity is not missing in Biutiful, it is ever-present in the daily dealings of Uxbal who's psyche we enter from the very beautiful and poetic beginning of the film.See BIUTIFUL with an open heart and mind, let yourself go places you never wanted to go, places you only watch on the evening news.My tag line for BIUTIFUL: "You don't choose your family. We all belong to somebody, but to belong to Uxbal and Marambra, is both a blessing and a curse."Adam
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Top reviews from the United States

Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Intense Geographies
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2013
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It at first seems odd that a film called Biutiful should appear so grim, showing us bleak workplaces, dirty living spaces, and grimy neighborhoods, capturing a world of struggle and deprivation and portraying it all in gritty images saturated with hues of gray and blue. But Inarritu has indeed given us a beautiful film with, in his own words, lavish "emotional and visual architecture," rich characters, and beautiful faces, which the director calls "the most intense and interesting geographies" in his cinematic landscape. It's a fitting setting for the story of Uxbal, a small-time hood struggling to maintain his moral compass while getting into increasingly dirtier business. As he and his crew become more ensnared by their own actions, the moral dilemmas--for anyone with a conscience--become inevitably more severe. Uxbal tries, at times impetuously, to tidy up the dirty corners of his nefarious world, but the viewer is ultimately left to decide for himself if the protagonist's battered morality and stop-gap fixes are enough to make a difference. In the end, Inarritu's film asks not how one holds onto his humanity under constant conditions of hardship, but rather affirms that, under such conditions, our humanity is really ALL that any one of us has to hold on to--and that doing so can make the difference between maintaining one's sanity or going off the deep end, as some of the film's characters certainly do. Civilization is indeed the humanization of flawed individuals in an imperfect society. But we stand little chance of success unless individuals endeavor, even if imperfectly, to make the right choices or, in the director's words, to "choose to see" the right thing. Inarritu, Bo, and Giacobone don't apologize for Uxbal and don't excuse him. The filmmakers simply remind us that when people help others hold on to hope, that is biutiful. When people place the interest of others over self-interest, that is biutiful. When people "choose to see" beauty in an otherwise ugly world, that is biutiful. And when people cherish life even while others around them have no respect for it, that is biutiful. Biutiful may not be an easy film to watch. But filled with "fear, love, resistance, [and] admiration," it's not an easy film to turn away from either. Like most difficult things, the film rewards us with a wisdom that reassures us, deep down, that the experience was well worthwhile. No spoiler here, but pay close attention to the exquisitely fine details of Uxbal's final scene with his daughter. It's an absolutely mesmerizing and haunting portrayal of the profound legacy a parent has the opportunity to pass on to his child. The word haunting isn't used lightly here. Even in an already visually abundant film, this scene is one of particularly stunning beauty and grace and is replete with images that I simply will never forget.
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2023
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Kind of sad but really good
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Movie buff
4.0 out of 5 stars A generous, but worthy, 4 stars.
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2022
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This is not a kid's movie and has some dark content, but it is well done, and well-acted. I tend not to like movies that show the darker side of humanity, but they are necessary, and this film is worthwhile.

Produced by a combination of Spanish, Mexican, and American film companies, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Director of Babel and 21 Grams, brings this story subtitled in English and written specifically for Javier Bardem by Iñárritu, Armando Bo, and Nicolás Giacobone. The mixed cast of fresh actors and star power helps lend both a feeling of relatability and uncertainty to this film. Set in the poorest of Spanish neighborhoods, the uncertainty grows in the opening as we see our main character, Uxbal (Bardem), pace through what we get the feeling is an average day – except for a fatal cancer diagnosis by his doctor. Quietly watching Uxbal over the course of the next two months, we see him begin the process of closing off his affairs as he tries to maintain what remains of his life. We come to know him as a hustler, very human, a good father, and a fallible person. Necessarily untrustworthy; uncompromisingly humble; compassionate to those around him; entirely shaped by a life hustling on the streets. We are shown painful glimpses and exhausting drama in a chaotic world of human trafficking, dirty cops, and extorted workers, all underpinned and destabilized by the spectrum of human frailty, mental illness, and lapses of character. His estranged wife is bipolar, and Uxbal himself is sometimes confused by an apparent ability to commune with spirits of the recently dead, for which he of course charges a small fee. Filming took an exhaustingly long five months during which the actors experienced many trials of their own as they lived and worked in the slums they filmed in. The story also takes its time to reach an end, ultimately we learn, where it began, but by then we finally understand it as the end.
3 people found this helpful
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Nicole J Barrett
5.0 out of 5 stars One of My Favorite Films!
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2015
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Other than Javier Bardem's excellent performance and the amazing performances by the other actors in this film, what I love about the film is the way everything is communicated through the cinematography and the subtext. This film isn't at all dialogue heavy - it is the perfect example of showing rather than telling. After all, isn't that what a motion picture supposed to do, tell a story through moving pictures first and foremost? I loved the use of symbolism not only in the images of the film but also in dialogue especially in the ending scene where Javier meets the father, much younger than him, that he never got to meet in life. The end of this film brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Ultimately, this film is about a man coming to grips with his own death, learning to let go of life, especially past mistakes and unhealthy relationships, and dying to meet the father he never got to meet in life. One of my favorite films!
10 people found this helpful
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William H. Kern, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars He is so good that I had to buy this movie
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018
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Javier Bardem from Spain. Is a recent movie actor that made it to the top of his craft from 2000. He is so good that I had to buy this movie. Subtitles. Yes. But the story grows on you. How immigrant workers are often hired paying them dollars and cents for their work. I think Javier won a Best Acting Oscar for a Foreign film. The xtras shows how this movie was made. It goes into details that are very interesting after you watch the feature on DVD. Javier is what Hollywood has needed. Talent from an actor from another country. Collectors need to add all of Javier's features to your collection. He is a natural actor.
6 people found this helpful
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Sherry
5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes it's great to watch a movie that says something
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2021
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Very moving. Javier Bardem and the other actors told an incredibly sad, realistic story. Living in the worst conditions imaginable, Uxbal and the wonderful Ige persevered with dignity, courage and honesty. And did this for the sake of the adorable children. The acting, story, filming and everything was masterful. Art imitating life. Albeit pretty harsh life. It has to be watched. It's worth watching. Very few movies are at this level of amazing.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Edizione DVD
Reviewed in Italy on May 10, 2022
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Prodotto arrivato integro, il film è un pugno nello stomaco, ennesima grandissima prova d'attore per Javier Bardem , l'edizione del film è ottima buona la qualità video e audio, e un bellissimo filmato di 20 Min. circa girato dallo stesso regista che costituisce un ottimo documento su come gli attori si siano calati nei personaggi..
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it but this particular movie I would love English ...
Reviewed in Canada on August 13, 2017
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I love it but this particular movie I would love English instead of French but I recommend it great story
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gabriel borrajo lopez
5.0 out of 5 stars Grande Iñarritu
Reviewed in Spain on December 19, 2013
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¡Que grande es Iñarritu!, desde los tiempos de Amores Perros no ha hecho sino mejorar como el vino. Esta peli es ácida como el limón, te revuelve las tripas, pero que realista.
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AllElseFailed
5.0 out of 5 stars Jeder muss zusehen wo er bleibt
Reviewed in Germany on September 29, 2011
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"Biutiful", der letzte Film des Filmemachers Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, war ganz eindeutig das Highlight meiner DVD Woche. Inarritus Film gehört ganz sicherlich nicht zur Sparte "Feel Good Movie", aber wer hätte das nach der Trilogie, bestehend aus den Streifen  Amores perros , 21 Gramm  und  Babel  auch wirklich angenommen. Diesesmal war Guillermo Arriaga, im Gegensatz zu den genannten Filmen, nicht für das Drehbuch verantwortlich, Inarritu meisterte "Biutiful" im Alleingang. Er schrieb das Buch, das Drehbuch und führte Regie. Und wie man es von ihm bereits gewohnt ist, zeichnet sich auch sein neuster Clou durch eine atemberaubende, wenn auch wieder niederschmetternde Geschichte, eine großartige filmische Umsetzung samt einer Bildsprache die ihresgleichen sucht und einer unbändigen Kreativität, aus. Der Spanier Javier Bardem, der die Hauptrolle spielt und wohl kein unbekannter Schauspieler im großen Meer der neuzeitlichen Charakterdarsteller mehr sein sollte, übertrifft sich in "Biutiful", der im Gegensatz zur Trilogie diesmal auf einen episodenhaften Aufbau verzichtet und die Geschichte linear erzählt, wieder mal selbst und schultert den Film fast alleine. Für mich gehört seine Rolle zu einer der besten die er jemals abgeliefert hat. Zu jedem Zeitpunkt nimmt man ihm diese ab.

Uxbal lebt mit seinen beiden Kindern Ana und Mateo in einer heruntergekommenen Wohnung in Barcelona. Seine, unter einer Affektstörung leidenden und erkrankten Frau, gleichzeitig die Mutter der beiden Kinder, lebt getrennt von dem Rest der Familie. Ihre bipolare Störung und die daraus resultierenden Symptome sorgten immer wieder für nicht zu akzeptierende Zustände, die die Familie in ihren Grundfesten beeinträchtigten. Gleichwohl verbindet das Ehepaar noch so einiges, die Liebe zueinander erlosch nie wirklich. Uxbal wird in Folge seiner Krebserkrankung sterben, ob dieses nun in ein paar Wochen oder Monaten geschieht, steht nicht fest. Rettung allerdings ist ausgeschlossen. Uxbal ist ein Kleinkrimineller, verdient sein Geld im sozial schwachen Milieu der katalonischen Hauptstadt am Mittelmeer. Er ist kein schlechter Mensch, versucht zu helfen wo er kann, auch wenn er von der Ausbeutung "illegal" in Barcelona lebender Asiaten_innen und Afrikaner_innen profitiert und an den unmenschlichen Arbeits- und Lebensumständen und Sphären verdient. Gleichzeitig besitzt Uxbal eine besondere Gabe. Er kann mit bereits verstorbenen Menschen Kontakt aufnehmen, sie sicher in das Leben nach dem Leben führen und ihnen die Angst vor dem Verlust des irdischen Darseins nehmen. Die Diagnose der unheilbaren Krankheit bringt ihn in große Schwierigkeiten. Nicht nur, dass er sich mit seinem baldigen Tod auseinandersetzen muss, gleichzeitig führt seine prekär zu nennende Situation zu der Ungewissheit, wer sich nach seinem Ableben um die Kinder kümmern soll. Diese Unbestimmtheit fordert ihren Tribut. Uxbal versucht so viel Geld wie möglich zu verdienen. Der Zwang, seine Kinder auch nach dem Tod versorgt zu wissen und der rapide Abbau des eigenen gesundheitlichen Zustandes führen dazu, dass fast alles, was er anzupacken versucht in irgendeiner Weise schief geht. Teilweise mit verherrenden und irreversiblen Folgen, nicht nur für ihn.

"Biutiful" ist ein Schlag in die Magengrube, traurig und unversöhnlich. Ein Drama mit unterschiedlichen Facetten, in der nicht nur das Schicksal Uxbals, in Form einer unheilbaren Krankheit, im Fokus steht. Jede einzelne Person in diesem Film hat mit seinem Leben zu kämpfen, glatt geht hier für niemanden nichts. Die Armenviertel, deren Wohnungen und Behausungen, die nur einen Blick auf die von Geld und Wohlstand dominierten Quartieren und den touristischen Anlaufpunkten wie La Rambla und der Kathedrale zulassen, die Organisation des Lebens am sozialen Abgrund, manische Depression, die Nachwehen der Franco Diktatur und der ständige Kampf ums Überleben, bilden die Essenz eines trostlosen Films, der keinen Platz für auch nur einen kleinsten Funken Hoffnung lässt. Und diese Hoffnungslosigkeit wird in großartigen Bildern und Fotographien präsentiert. Mit einem Hang zur Detailverliebtheit, die niemals überzogen oder unstimmig wirkt. "Biutiful" ist eine Komposition aus Schmerz und Leid, ästhetisch, dramaturgisch hochwertig und bildgewaltig umgesetzt. Ein wahres Feuerwerk für sämtliche Sinne. Dieses wird durch einen sparsamen und zielgerichteten Soundtrack unterstrichen. Die schauspielerischen Leistungen und der Cast überzeugen auf ganzer Linie, dieses gilt nicht nur für Javier Bardem, der dem Film allerdings einen ganz besonderen Stempel aufdrückt. Auch wenn der Leidensweg Uxbals stellenweise an biblische Geschichten erinnern mag, so verliert er sich zu keinem Zeitpunkt in spirituellen Mätzschen oder Beliebigkeiten. "Biutiful" ist auf ganzer Linie ein, um das letzte Mal ein positives Adjektiv zu verwenden, unglaublich bemerkenswerter Film geworden, "Kopfkino" empfehlenswert für alle, die schon mit Inarritus vorherigen Filmen etwas anfangen konnten.....und nicht nur für diejenigen.
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Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars Inarritu's finest moment
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2011
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Undoubtedly Inarritu's finest moment so far. A stunning trawl through the underbelly of a Barcelona that the tourists never see: drug trafficking; illegal immigration; sweatshops; bent cops and a spiritual intensity (bordering on magical belief) that is perhaps uniquely Iberian.

All this is portrayed in the life of Uxbal - at once a middleman for all sorts of illegal activity and a devoted father to two children whose mother is too unreliable to look after them. His imminent death forces him to look at his life and bring some sort of moral order to the chaos of his existence.

I simply can't agree with other reviewer's comments about over-complications and supposedly unnecessary additions. This 140 minutes speeds by as you are swept up in the final days of Uxbal - a less than perfect person trying to make the most of a less than perfect world. (The nightclub scene, for example, emphasises the essentially moral difference between Uxbal and his supposedly more respectable brother. The brother exploits `kids' sexually; Uxbal does everything to protect his kids and also some of the migrant workers he employs.)

Bardem has rightly been hailed for yet another outstanding performance - making us care about a deeply troubled character engaged in highly questionable activities. He brings out the quest for morality and spiritual tranquility that Uxbal attempts to find in his chaotic life.

But ultimately the greatness of the movie rests on the director's unique vision. No-one makes films like Inarritu with their mix of comedy and tragedy, pointless brutality and spiritual sense - life, in other words. I laughed, I winced, I wept - I cared about the characters that he created. I enjoyed the moments of beauty he uncovered in this violent, brutish world we all share. I wondered if there was any point to our existence - or if we are like the starlings at nightfall, playing out a choreographed dance for no obvious purpose.

If you are looking for a simple uncomplicated movie, a slice of `entertainment', then this probably isn't for you. If you care about the complex beast that is the human condition and you enjoy an artist's attempts to explore the reasons for our existence then you might find something to appreciate here.
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