BARDO - SPOILER-FREE Review | LFF 2022
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© Netflix 2022
Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Written by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone
Starring: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Iker Sanchez Solano
Runtime: 163 min
Synopsis: Meet Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a filmmaker and journalist who has always sought to make socially relevant work that challenges, questions and exposes. When he receives the prestigious Alethea award from the American Society of Journalists, he returns home to Mexico to celebrate. However, ‘home’ isn’t easy to define when you’ve been living in the USA for 20 years and you can’t fathom what Mexico now means for you or your immediate family.
© Netflix 2022
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Firstshowing. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
Bardo works best when it focuses on the dynamics between father, mother, and children regarding immigration and how this drastic life change impacts each member of the family nucleus. Alejandro G. Iñárritu takes advantage of all the awe-inspiring technical elements to build a story worthy of the big screen but lacks tonal consistency and narrative control. "Historical" recreations with q.b. surrealism only makes the runtime feel heavier, and if it wasn't for Darius Khondji's superb cinematography along with exceptional set and sound design, this film would have been in trouble. Fortunately, there's a lot more to be enjoyed than to feel frustrated.
