Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths explained

Native Name:
Director:Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Producer:
  • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
  • Stacy Perskie Kaniss
Starring:
Cinematography:Darius Khondji
Distributor:Netflix
Country:Mexico
Gross:$43,116[1]

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Spanish; Castilian: Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades), or simply Bardo, is a 2022 Mexican epic psychological black comedy-drama film co-written, co-scored, edited, produced, and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.[2] The film stars Daniel Giménez Cacho alongside Griselda Siciliani, and follows a journalist/documentarian who returns to his native country of Mexico and begins having an existential crisis in the form of dreamlike visions. The title refers to the Buddhist concept of the bardo, a liminal state between death and rebirth.[3] It is Iñárritu's first film to be fully filmed in Mexico since Amores perros in 2000.

Bardo premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in competition for the Golden Lion on September 1, 2022, and was released in theaters on November 18, 2022, then streamed on Netflix on December 16, 2022. The film received polarized reviews from critics, who praised the performances, cinematography, and direction, but were divided on its writing and runtime. It received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the 95th Academy Awards.

Plot

Silverio Gama is a Mexican journalist turned documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles with his wife, Lucía, and teenage son, Lorenzo. His work has become increasingly personal and subjective as he has grown older; his latest film, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, is a work of docufiction with autobiographical elements. Silverio and Lucía are happy together, but they are haunted by the death of their first son, Mateo, a day after his birth. The two keep Mateo's ashes and feel unable to move on from his loss. Silverio experiences much of his day-to-day life in surreal fashion, with dreams, memories, and fantasies playing out alongside his activities. When he meets the US ambassador to Mexico at Chapultepec Castle, for instance, he envisions the events of the 1847 Battle of Chapultepec and the suicides of the Niños Héroes around him.

Silverio learns that he will be the first Latin American to receive a prestigious American award for journalism. He speculates that he is only receiving the award to ease tensions between the United States and Mexico (inflamed by negative perceptions of U.S.–Mexico migration as well as Amazon's attempts to purchase the Mexican state of Baja California), but nevertheless tries to deal with a wave of media scrutiny in his home country. He cancels an interview on a popular talk show at the last minute, reminisces about his time as a husband and father, and tries to strike a balance between attacking the problems he sees with the Mexican state and defending its people from stereotypes. Secretly, he feels guilty over emigrating to the U.S. when so many other Mexicans cannot leave.

Silverio and his family attend a party held in his honor. He reunites with his siblings and extended family, to whom he is indifferent, and his adult daughter, Camila, whom he lavishes with attention. When the talk show host scathingly criticizes Silverio's work, the filmmaker responds by insulting the host personally. Silverio eventually flees into the restroom, where he imagines reconciliations with his deceased father and mother. When he leaves his mother's apartment, he sees symbolic representations of historic atrocities in Mexico: hundreds of people signifying those kidnapped or killed by organized crime collapse in a commercial district, and Hernán Cortés sits atop a pile of corpses in the Zócalo, lecturing Silverio about the indigenous genocide.

Before travelling back to Los Angeles, Silverio and his family vacation in Baja California, just as Amazon buys the state. Camila tells Silverio that she will quit her job in Boston to move back to Mexico, which Silverio tentatively welcomes. The family decide to scatter Mateo's ashes in the ocean before leaving for the U.S., where they are treated with contempt by a Hispanic-American customs official.

After Lorenzo reminds him of a time when his pet axolotls died, Silverio buys some as a surprise gift. On the L.A. Metro ride from the pet store (in a repeat of an earlier scene), Silverio has a violent stroke and is left unattended on the train for several hours. He languishes in a coma, and it is revealed that the events of the film so far have been his comatose brain's attempts to process his life experience. Camila accepts the award in Silverio's absence, and she and his other family members and friends sit by his bedside, holding conversations and playing songs or television broadcasts that have inadvertently affected his dreams.

In a near-featureless desert within his mind, Silverio reunites with his dead family members and ignores projections of his living family. He sees a copy of himself, which mirrors his movements for a short time before walking away. The film ends as it began, with Silverio imagining himself flying through the desert. It is unclear if he has died, reawakened, or learned to live with his baggage.

Cast

Production

Development

On March 22, 2020, it was reported that Alejandro G. Iñárritu would write, direct and produce a new film, to be shot in Mexico, Bradford Young as cinematographer, and Patrice Vermette as production designer.[4] On March 9, 2021, Griselda Siciliani joined the cast,[5] with Grantham Coleman that July.[6]

Filming

Principal photography began on March 3, 2021, in Mexico City, with Darius Khondji as cinematographer and Eugenio Caballero as production designer, under the working title Limbo.[7] Khondji paired the large format Alexa 65 camera with Panavision Sphero lenses, shooting almost the entirety of the film on the 17mm and the 21mm.[8] Five months of filming were planned in other locations in the Capital and the Estudios Churubusco.[9] [10] [11]

On March 4, 2021, during filming in the historic center of Mexico City, a passerby was arrested for striking a production security member.[12] In September 2021, it was reported that the film had completed production.

Post-production

Iñárritu continued editing the film after its premiere at Venice. The version screened at San Sebastián, in late September 2022, had a running time of 152 minutes, without credits, 22 minutes shorter than the one screened at Venice and Telluride.[13] The final runtime released by Netflix was set at 160 minutes including the credits.[14]

Release

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2022,[15] it was screened for the first time in the US at the 49th Telluride Film Festival. The film was also screened at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival, in late September, and at the 2022 AFI Fest, in late November.[16]

It was released in theaters in Mexico on October 27, 2022, then a limited release in United States theatres on November 4 and on Netflix on December 16.[17] [18] [19]

Reception

Critical reception

The film has received polarized reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Giménez Cacho and Siciliani, Khondji's cinematography, and Iñarritu's direction, but criticized the runtime and writing; many referred to the film as "self-indulgent" and "pretentious".

In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Iñárritu believed there was a racial bias among the critics and stated that a filmmaker's expressions of themselves shouldn't be considered as self-indulgent or emulating other thematically related works.[20]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Venice Film FestivalSeptember 10, 2022Golden LionAlejandro G. Iñárritu[21]
UNIMED Award[22]
The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CamerimageNovember 19, 2022Main Competition (Silver Frog)Darius Khondji[23]
FIPRESCI AwardBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Chicago Film Critics AssociationDecember 14, 2022Best Foreign Language FilmBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[24]
Best CinematographyDarius Khondji
Alliance of Women Film JournalistsJanuary 5, 2023Best Non-English Language FilmBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[25]
Georgia Film Critics AssociationJanuary 13, 2023Best CinematographyDarius Khondji[26]
Critics' Choice Movie AwardsJanuary 15, 2023Best Foreign Language FilmBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[27]
AARP Movies for Grownups AwardsJanuary 28, 2023Best Foreign Film[28]
Satellite AwardsFebruary 11, 2023Best Motion Picture – International[29]
Set Decorators Society of America AwardsFebruary 14, 2023Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Contemporary Feature FilmDaniela Rojas Mont and Eugenio Caballero[30]
Art Directors Guild AwardsFebruary 18, 2023Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary FilmEugenio Caballero[31]
Golden Reel AwardsFebruary 26, 2023Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Foreign Language FeatureMartín Hernández, Nicolas Becker, Ken Yasumoto, Alejandro Quevedo, Jaime Sainz, Carolina Santana, Alitzel Diaz, Daniel Douglass, Valeria López Mancheva, Raynier Hinojosa, Omar Blanco, Oscar Victoria, Pietu Korhonen, Alan Romero, Heikki Kossi, Alan Romero[32]
American Society of Cinematographers AwardsMarch 5, 2023Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical ReleasesDarius Khondji[33]
Academy AwardsMarch 12, 2023Best Cinematography[34]
Platino AwardsApril 22, 2023Best Ibero-American FilmBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[35]
Best Comedy Film
Best DirectorAlejandro González Iñarritu
Best ActorDaniel Giménez Cacho
Best ScreenplayAlejandro González Iñarritu, Nicolás Giacobone
Best Art DirectionEugenio Caballero
June 29, 2023 Best Foreign Trailer"Journey" (AV Squad)[36]
Ariel AwardsSeptember 9, 2023Best PictureBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[37] [38]
Best DirectorAlejandro González Iñárritu
Best ActorDaniel Giménez Cacho
Best Supporting ActorFrancisco Rubio
Best CinematographyDarius Khondji
Best Original ScoreBryce Dessner, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Best SoundNicolas Becker, Martín Hernández, Ken Yasumoto, Frankie Montano, Jon Taylor, Santiago Núñez
Best EditingAlejandro G. Iñárritu
Best Art DirectionEugenio Caballero
Best MakeupLucy Betancourt
Best Costume DesignAnna Terrazas
Best Visual EffectsGuillaume Rocheron, Olaf Wendt
Rolling Stone en Español AwardsOctober 26, 2023Fiction Feature Film of the YearBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths[39] [40]
Direction of the YearAlejandro González Iñárritu
Performance of the YearDaniel Giménez Cacho

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) - Financial Information . 2024-03-17 . The Numbers.
  2. Web site: Grobar. Matt. 2021-09-23. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's New Comedy Gets Title; Oscar Winner's First Project In His Native Mexico Since 'Amores Perros'. live. 2021-09-23. Deadline. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20210923210850/https://deadline.com/2021/09/alejandro-g-inarritu-mexico-shot-comedy-gets-title-first-look-bts-image-1234843363/ . September 23, 2021 .
  3. News: Scott . A. O. . 2022-11-03 . 'Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths' Review: It's a Stressful Afterlife . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-02-21 . 0362-4331 . February 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230220210402/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/movies/bardo-false-chronicle-of-a-handful-of-truths-review.html . live .
  4. News: Jacob. Fisher. Alejandro G. Iñárritu Set To Write & Direct New Film With Bradford Young & Patrice Vermette. March 22, 2020. Discussing Film. April 14, 2020. September 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220903153413/https://discussingfilm.net/2020/03/22/alejandro-g-inarritu-set-to-write-direct-new-film-with-bradford-young-patrice-vermette/. live.
  5. Web site: Iñárritu trae "Cortitos" a Griselda Siciliani y a Giménez Cacho. Cesar. Huerta. El Universal. March 9, 2021. March 9, 2021. es-MX. March 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220327160735/https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/cine/inarritu-trae-cortitos-griselda-siciliani-y-gimenez-cacho. live.
  6. Web site: Grantham Coleman Joins Cast Of Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu's Next Movie. Deadline Hollywood. Justin. Kroll. July 29, 2021. July 29, 2021. October 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221016093615/https://deadline.com/2021/07/grantham-coleman-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-limbo-1234802717/. live.
  7. Web site: Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - Limbo. . March 15, 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210315044033/https://www.varietyinsight.com/production_restart_full_view.php?track_id=188721 . March 15, 2021.
  8. Web site: Mulcahey . Matt . 2022-12-15 . The Real and the Poetic: DP Darius Khondji on Bardo Filmmaker Magazine . 2023-02-21 . Filmmaker Magazine Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. . en-US . February 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221202243/https://filmmakermagazine.com/117788-interview-dp-darius-khondji-bardo/ . live .
  9. Web site: Iñárritu inicia rodaje de su nueva cinta en la capital mexicana. Agencia Reforma. Los Angeles Times. March 3, 2021. March 5, 2021. es. October 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221016093622/https://www.latimes.com/espanol/entretenimiento/articulo/2021-03-03/inarritu-inicia-rodaje-de-su-nueva-cinta-en-la-capital-mexicana. live.
  10. Web site: Alejandro González Iñárritu comienza rodaje de su nueva película en CDMX. Tomatazos. March 5, 2021. March 5, 2021. es. October 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221015125047/https://www.tomatazos.com/noticias/597967/Alejandro-Gonzalez-Inarritu-comienza-rodaje-de-su-nueva-pelicula-en-CDMX. live.
  11. Web site: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu Rolls Cameras On First Movie Since 'The Revenant'. Tom. Grater. Deadline Hollywood. March 5, 2021. March 5, 2021. August 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220830214020/https://deadline.com/2021/03/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-limbo-first-movie-since-the-revenant-1234707758/. live.
  12. Web site: Detienen a hombre que enfurece por rodaje de Iñárritu en la CDMX. El Universal. Elmparcial.com. March 4, 2021. March 5, 2021. es. March 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220327070820/https://www.elimparcial.com/espectaculos/Detienen-a-hombre-que-enfurece-por-rodaje-de-Inarritu-en-la-CDMX-20210304-0206.html. live.
  13. News: Kohn. Eric. September 22, 2022. Alejandro G. Iñarritu on His Stunning 'Bardo' Trailer and Why the Movie Is Shorter Now — Exclusive. IndieWire. September 22, 2022. October 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221003152017/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/bardo-trailer-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-shorter-1234765519/. live.
  14. Web site: Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths. British Board of Film Classification. 3 November 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204093934/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/bardo-false-chronicle-of-a-handful-of-truths-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda4otaz. live.
  15. Web site: Biennale Cinema 2022 Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades. La Biennale di Venezia. August 30, 2022. October 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221008093809/https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022/venezia-79-competition/bardo-falsa-cr%C3%B3nica-de-unas-cuantas-verdades. live.
  16. Web site: AFI Fest Adds 'Bardo', 'The Son', 'She Said', 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio', More to Red Carpet Lineup . September 20, 2022 . September 20, 2022 . September 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220926020543/https://deadline.com/2022/09/afi-fest-2022-red-carpet-movies-list-lineup-1235122945/ . live .
  17. Web site: Bergeson. Samantha. Netflix Buys Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 'Bardo' and Sets Global Awards Season 2022 Release. April 27, 2022. April 27, 2022. IndieWire. September 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920232610/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/netflix-buys-alejandro-g-inarritu-bardo-1234720197/. live.
  18. Web site: Ravindran . Nick Vivarelli,Manori . Vivarelli . Nick . Ravindran . Manori . 2022-07-26 . Darren Aronofsky, Laura Poitras, Olivia Wilde, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Florian Zeller Take New Movies to Venice – Full Lineup . 2022-07-26 . Variety . en-US . July 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726085030/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/venice-film-festival-2022-lineup-1235325341/ . live .
  19. Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . August 30, 2022 . Netflix Unveils Fall Movie Slate With Release Dates for 'Bardo,' 'White Noise' and Lindsay Lohan's 'Falling for Christmas' . September 23, 2022 . Variety . en-US . July 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726085030/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/venice-film-festival-2022-lineup-1235325341/ . live .
  20. Web site: Rottenberg . Josh . Alejandro G. Iñárritu answers critics of his new film: 'There's a kind of racist undercurrent' . . 13 March 2023 . 4 September 2022 . March 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230313223443/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-04/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-bardo-critics . live .
  21. Web site: Venice Film Festival Winners: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Top Acting Prizes – Updating Live . Deadline Hollywood . September 10, 2022 . 10 September 2022 . September 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220911162344/https://deadline.com/2022/09/venice-film-festival-2022-winners-golden-lion-full-list-1235113993/ . live .
  22. Web site: COLLATERAL AWARDS OF THE 79TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL. labiennale.org. 10 September 2022. 10 September 2022. November 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221114233924/https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/collateral-awards-79th-venice-film-festival. live.
  23. Web site: Camerimage: 'Tár' Takes Golden Frog — Complete Winners List. Deadline. 19 November 2022. 2 February 2023. November 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221119184214/https://deadline.com/2022/11/camerimage-tar-takes-golden-frog-complete-winners-1235176773/. live.
  24. Web site: Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations. Rogerebert.com. Brian. Tallerico. December 12, 2022. December 12, 2022. December 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221212204931/https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-chicago-film-critics-nominations. live.
  25. Web site: 2022 EDA AWARDS NOMINEES . December 23, 2022 . . December 23, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221223170245/https://awfj.org/eda-awards-2/2022-eda-awards-categories/2022-eda-awards-nominees/ . live .
  26. Web site: 2022 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) nominations. AwardsWatch. Erik. Anderson. January 7, 2023. January 7, 2023. January 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230107164403/https://awardswatch.com/2022-georgia-film-critics-association-gafca-nominations/. live.
  27. Web site: Verhoeven . Beatrice . December 14, 2022 . Everything Everywhere All At Once Leads 2023 Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221214202755/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/critics-choice-awards-2023-film-nominations-list-1235281602/ . December 14, 2022 . December 14, 2022 . The Hollywood Reporter.
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  30. Web site: Set Decorators Society of America Announces 2022 Film Nominations. Below the Line. January 5, 2023. January 6, 2023. January 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230105204305/https://www.btlnews.com/awards/sdsa-film-2022-awards-nominations/. live.
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  32. Web site: 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Leads Sound Editors' Golden Reel Nominations. The Hollywood Reporter. Carolyn. Giardina. January 9, 2023. January 9, 2023. January 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230109170102/https://variety.com/2023/artisans/awards/mpse-golden-reel-awards-nominations-2023-1235481720/. live.
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  34. Web site: The 95th Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 29, 2023. January 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220130155459/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023. live.
  35. Web site: PREMIOS PLATINO 2023: 'ARGENTINA, 1985' ENCABEZA LAS NOMINACIONES DE LA X EDICIÓN. Fotogramas. Ricardo. Rosado. 9 March 2023. 9 March 2023. es. March 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230311082725/https://www.fotogramas.es/noticias-cine/a43261905/premios-platino-2023-nominaciones/. live.
  36. Web site: Tinoco . Armando . June 5, 2023 . Golden Trailer Awards Nominations List: Stranger Things, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ted Lasso & Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Among Most Nominated . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605161252/https://deadline.com/2023/06/2023-golden-trailer-awards-nominations-list-1235408411/ . June 5, 2023 . June 6, 2023 . Deadline Hollywood.
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