Film Review: BARDO: FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (2022): Alejandro G. Iñárritu Aptly Brings to Life a Deep Story of a Man in a Crisis

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Review

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, written by Nicolás Giacobone and Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Iker Sanchez Solano, Luis Couturier, Andres Almeida, Clementia Guadarrama, Jay O. Sanders, Francisco Rubio, Noe Hernandez, Fabiola Guajardo, Ivan Massague, Luis Gnecco, Grantham Coleman and Daniel Damuzi.

If any director out there is able to sneak an actor into a crowded Oscar race with a good movie, it’s the formidable filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu. While Iñárritu’s new film, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths has just enough substance to make viewers become invested in the material the movie presents, the picture is sometimes a cinematic mess. That chaos is forgivable, though, thanks to the acting here. There’s so much going on that the picture demands a second viewing to do it justice. That’s also because the star of the film, Daniel Giménez Cacho, is simply electrifying. It’s hard to know what to make out of Cacho’s character. Silverio Gama, until you look back at the events that transpire throughout the film in retrospect and come to the conclusion that he’s a man hampered by life’s uncertainties and injustices.

The film opens over a desert with a striking series of images thanks to the tremendous cinematographer Darius Khondji. We learn that Silverio Gama is a Mexican journalist/documentary filmmaker. While he’s a family man in California with a wife, Lucia (Griselda Siciliani) and a son (Iker Sanchez Solano), he’s been through quite a bit in life. Like many filmmakers, Gama’s art imitates his life. There’s a lot of Gama’s personal struggles in his work. The movie begins with a baby who crawls back inside his mother. This child isn’t ready for the world. Silverio and Lucia had a child who died an early infant death, and that past situation has haunted the parents for years.

Silverio is awarded for his journalistic integrity, but he believes there’s some “politics” behind his receipt of this distinction. At a party, Silverio reunites with his family and his daughter who lives in Boston, Camila (Ximena Lamadrid). In a bathroom, Silverio also “meets” his dad but Iñárritu downsizes Silverio in this scene with the father towering over him as the two characters discuss life. Iñárritu creates a fantastic scene here followed by a scene where Silverio “talks to” his mom who complains about aging. There is a lot of heavy-handed symbolism here regarding Silverio’s relationship with his family and his relationship with his work, not to mention his heritage and the history of what occurred in Mexico, some of which Silverio cannot shake from his mind.

Iñárritu’s film is not plot heavy but there’s plenty going on. When Silverio and Camila talk in a pool, there’s quiet sincerity in both the performances of Cacho and Lamadrid. In this sequence, Camila discusses moving to Mexico and that her job has sort of restricted her from doing anything of great significance with her life. When Silverio asks her about her boyfriend, Silverio learns the boyfriend is the last thing on her mind. There’s also the matter of the ashes of the child that died and what to do with them. At the same time, Silverio must confront who he really is as a person especially when a security guard challenges his true citizenship at an airport. That scene at the airport is one of Cacho’s finest moments in the picture.

It all comes down to a scenario where, after he has a stroke while riding public transportation, Silverio finds his feet nailed down as his daughter accepts his award and… well, I’ll say no more. Iñárritu sneakily has a lot to say at the end of the movie but, without giving too much away, the title of the film truly captures it all. This movie is a “false chronicle of a handful of truths.”

Cacho’s performance here is amazingly layered. This actor is one of Iñárritu’s greatest creations and that says a lot when one considers Iñárritu’s characters in The Revenant and Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) before that. Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Keaton were amazing in those movies and Cacho is certainly on their level here making us feel this character’s pains, regrets and passions. It’s a phenomenal piece of work that could get rewarded come Oscar nomination time.

Siciliani and Lamadrid are both well-cast in this picture. They shine beside Cacho and add dimensions to the family members who have been in Silverio’s life. As Silverio’s son, Iker Sanchez Solano is also noteworthy as this character is challenged unfairly by Silverio at one point in the film. A lot of Iñárritu’s themes, though, are lost in some of the more stylized aspects of the movie, especially in the political scenes which may feel heavy and, at times, Iñárritu bites off more than he can chew in my opinion.

That being said, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is one of the year’s most unique movies. Its length holds it back from being a better movie but Iñárritu opens up plenty of room for discussion with this fascinating and moving picture. Cacho deserves an Oscar nomination and hopefully will not get lost in the year-end awards movie shuffle.

Rating: 7.5/10

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