This hand-held, pale drama is certainly sad, maybe depressive, but that doesn't mean it's also deep or poetic: in a way, it's just a film about miserable people. Iñárritu wants to redeem his characters by making them even more miserable.

Touching story, beautiful direction and a haunting lead role by Bardem. Iñárritu has returned to form.

Javier Bardem is wonderful, his portrayal of the character of Uxbal is one of the best performances by a male actor I have seen. I personally would put it along the line of David Thewlis in Naked. Inarritu is just an amazing director and I believe he is the de facto standard of circular movies. This is a wonderfully crafted poetic movie that touches many layers of the human life and society and Uxbal just lights all of them.

It's nice that Inarritu doesn't tell a cliched redemption story. A little scattershot and jumbled, but overall effective and touching.

A flawed story of a flawed character. Fails to reach greatness though there are still some wonderful shots as well as powerful scenes.

biutiful and sad

I wonder how connected Innaritu really is with all these problems he is trying to tackle. It seems like he puts on a really superficial image of these problems without ever trying to really capture them.

While way too many topics were taken on, Inarritu does succeed in making a heartbreaking film. Javier Bardem, as per usual, is incredible in his portrayal of a good man being destroyed from every direction. Its pretty to look at and devastating to watch.

A painful and sad way of grief, where misery meets misery. Inarritu´s new movie is strong stuff from the beginning until the predictable end. Bardem acts brilliant as always and embodies Uxbal, a family father, who goes through hell and back. Amazing movie!

A sad story and difficult to watch. Though great, I couldn't really enjoy it and doubt I'll see it again.

The first hour and a half went by very slow and frankly I found that stretch very boring. The film is saved however by a good performance by Bardem and an excellent last hour. The end result is almost a poem like film with Inarritu crafting this poem pretty well especially in directing emotion. Not his best, but nonetheless still a good film.

Great, now I have post-Bardem depression.

Terminal illness, drug addiction, prostitution, broken families, child smoking, slavery of illegal immigrants, police corruption, bad cooking... Mr Iñarritu's happy-happy-joy-joy film has a royal flush in the unpleasantness department, and he beats us over the head with it until it feels ridiculous (and we're peeing blood). This approach may yield awards, but for me, a film so devoid of love or warmth needs to go much more graphic and harrowing to have impact. Underwhelming and disappointing.

ponderous and lifeless, reinforces some of the worst stereotypes about arthouse cinema

A dark story, but it gives the viewer a better appreciation of life and their loved ones.

A film about how someone can be really fucked up and still have love seems too cliché. And it's.

Good.