Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

Cert - 15, Run-time - 2 hour 40 minutes,

Director - Alejandro G. Iñárritu

A Mexican documentarian (Daniel Giménez Cacho) returns to his homeland after receiving a prestigious prize in the US.

For those who aren’t fans of Alejandro G. Iñárritu, particularly his most recent works Birdman and The Revenant, it’s unlikely you’ll be turned around by Bardo. With Bardo the co-writer (alongside Nicolás Giacobone) and director takes influence from his own life and injects it into the experiences of central figure Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho). Change two Best Director Oscars for an equally prestigious award looking at an entire career of work and we see the journalist-cum-acclaimed documentarian travelling from the US to his homeland of Mexico, revisiting his roots and confronting his past and identity.

Along the way there’s plenty of fantastical elements into which many events are transcribed. The film opens with the idea of a baby wanting to go back into the room after realising how dark and cold the world is; before the umbilical cord trailing behind the mother gets stuck in a pair of swing doors. It’s undeniably strange yet undoubtedly enjoyable. While, despite the opening, not as frequent a style as you might hope, such events pop in now and then to guide Silverio’s mind amongst the relatively narrative-free course. Playing into, and prodding at, the early statement that “life is nothing but a series of idiotic images. Exposure at any price” before returning to Mexico opens up his imagination again.

With an almost three-hour run-time there’s chance for things to go off the rails quickly. However, there’s plenty within Iñárritu’s now signature one-shot style to engage and keep things flowing; not just the fantastic visuals, courtesy of cinematographer Darius Khondji. While individual sequences might feel quite lengthy the film as a whole fits its run-time rather well, being served well after having been cut down by 20 minutes since it’s Venice debut.

It’s when ideas don’t properly click, or feel thinner and more drawn-out, that sequences feel overlong. Nonetheless Cacho makes for a consistently charming and enjoyable lead, capturing Silverio’s delight in a large dancing crowd alongside more emotional aspects of familial relationships. It’s a wonderful performance that, while his character is guided by the occasional fantastical element, acts as the consistent through the events for the viewer.

Bryce Dessner’s score occasionally feels like it could feature in a wacky sitcom, working best when accompanying the closing stages as the film entertainingly wraps itself up. There’s plenty of comedic moments to bring lightness amongst the well-handled blend of genres which rarely feel out of place.

The overall tone keeps you engaged and stops things from forming an overlong slog; helped by the fantastical elements and well-performed central figure.

For those who are yet to get on with Iñárritu this likely won’t change anything, but for those who have enjoyed his more recent works, and even enjoy something a bit more on the strange side, then Bardo may work rather well. Particularly when running with certain ideas without spreading them too thin, or high.

Jamie Skinner -Four stars