Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (15)
Directed by Alejandro G Inarritu

FOUR-TIMES Oscar-winning film-maker Alejandro G Inarritu’s follow-up to The Revenant is an intimate and personal yet ambitious and visually mind-blowing homage to his Mexican roots and his country.

This is a shortened (by 24 minutes) version of the original film that was shown in Venice, which feels like a never-ending lucid dream, by the end coming full circle, reminiscent of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival.

The film, directed and co-written by Inarritu, follows Silverio (Daniel Gimenez Cacho), a renowned Mexican journalist turned documentary film-maker who has been living in Los Angeles with his wife and two children and who feels compelled to head home to celebrate after winning the prestigious Alethea award from the American Society of Journalists.

Silverio, who has a passing resemblance to Inarritu, is forced to confront a number of his demons on his return to Mexico, including imposter syndrome, the guilt of having left his homeland in pursuit of a new life and success abroad, the loss of his son at birth and being singled out as an immigrant on his return to the US despite having lived there for 20 years.

What is “home” though? It isn’t easy to define as the Mexico Silverio returns to isn't the same one he left all those years ago, along with what it meant to him.

Bardo is a fascinating, visually arresting and inventive fluid drama which captures and portrays emotions and memories as Silverio undergoes an existential journey. One minute he is on a train in Santa Monica with a bag of weird looking fish; the next he is feet deep in water at his Mexican house.

It is anchored by a virtuoso performance by Gimenez Cacho, who is mesmerising throughout.

It is one of Inarritu’s most deeply personal films — which will resonate mainly with immigrants — and one of his most immersive: his masterful cinematic eye and skill takes you from one surreal moment to the next. By the end you will want to see it again with a new-found perspective.

MD
In cinemas and on Netflix from December 16