Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 'Bardo' Premieres at Venice 79

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film 'Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades' premiered in competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. The nearly three-hour work is a surreal, autobiographical journey exploring the midlife crisis of its protagonist, Silverio Gama, a journalist and documentarian who serves as Iñárritu's alter ego. The narrative weaves through themes of success, guilt, fatherhood, and Mexican identity, blending influences from Federico Fellini, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Luis Buñuel, and Roy Andersson. Iñárritu, who has lived in Los Angeles since 2001, described the film as a reckoning with his own life and Mexican heritage. The movie employs intricate special effects and Escher-like illusions to create a labyrinthine existential treatise. A final twist provides a rational explanation for the layered realities. The film was written and directed by Iñárritu, with a cast including Daniel Giménez Cacho as Silverio. The festival took place from August 31 to September 10, 2022.