Movie Review: Biutiful

Okay, so I had seen the advertisements for this movie for quite some time, but always seemed to hesitate. Finally, that ended not long ago, obviously, since this is a review of that movie. It was time to see it.              For once, this was a movie that I really had not known anything about. This seemed a refreshing change, and so it seemed like a good idea to keep it that way, to be surprised. And after seeing it, admittedly, yeah, I was surprised.              

First of all, let me talk a bit about this movie in ways that do not have spoilers. One thing that surprised me a bit, for some reason, was that this movie is in Spanish, which means that if you do not speak it, like me, then you will need to read the subtitles.              

Javier Bardem is the only actor in this movie who I specifically knew already before watching this movie. He is one of those rare actors who I was very impressed with, particularly (and most obviously) for his role as Anton Chighur in “No Country For Old Men.” Must say, after watching this, that he is actually a phenomenal actor all around. In some ways, this might be a more impressive performance than that more famous one was, because you really feel the depression, the sadness, as well as the hope and sense of urgency that his character has throughout, as well as the sense of decency. Again, these are generalities, and should not spoil the movie for you, if you have not yet seen it. But it must be said that his acting is off the charts solid. He helps make this movie feel more authentic, more real.              

Also, one last thing: this movie is depressing. No, not just depressing. DEPRESSING, with all caps. No, that is not an exaggeration. This does not bother me, generally speaking, because this always has been enjoyable and often adds meaning to art for me. But it is not for everybody, so just giving a fair warning here.              

So, as I often do unless I forget, this is the point where there should be a warning not to read any further if you intend to watch this movie.              

Okay, so you have been warned. After this point, no excuses, the assumption is either you have already seen this movie and know what happens, or it does not bother you that there will be spoilers. So let us begin.              

Javier Bardam plays Uxbal, a man who’s life seems in complete disarray. Everything is going wrong, and all at once. He lives in a crappy apartment, has a wife who is bipolar and sleeping around, yet he still loves her.              

There is one thing that I noticed, and I just could not be sure at first if anyone else noticed it, or if it had any significance, although I was pretty sure that it did. There are a lot of effects with mirrors and reflections in this movie, and at one point, Uxbal is standing in front of his mirrored reflection on a glass front building, but his movements do not match those in the mirror. It was enough for me to briefly stop the movie and replay it, to see if I had imagined it, or had seen it correctly. And sure enough, it happened exactly like I had seen it. It caught me off guard, yet on some level, it also felt like it fit a bit in a symbolic way, especially since Uxbal is supposed to be able to see and communicate with ghosts. This is not a horror movie, and again, the presence of the ghost element, if you will, kind of surprised me. Everything else in the film feels starkly real, even quite depressingly so. But the ghosts added another element to the movie, and while I enjoyed the symbolism, it was a bit distracting, especially that first time that I really could not help but notice it.

But then, this man is supposed to be able to see and talk to ghosts, or the recently dead. That does not make it a new Sixth Sense, but it adds a whole new dimension to the movie. Given the way that the movie ends, with him glimpsing himself walking away from his body before he dies. And then, seeing that last ghost on the ceiling, before he goes to his daughter's bedroom and lies there, knowing that he is about to die. We then see the same conversation that the movie started with, and then see him in the snow, talking to that guy. All of this adds whole new meaning to how the movie opened up, of course. 

In this movie, we feel like we really get to know Uxibal. He is a man who lives in Barcelona, a city which has a reputation as a beautiful tourist mecca. However, what we see in this movie is a very different Barcelona. This is not the artistic tourist paradise, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and a place that almost everyone wants to see, and those fortunate enough to have seen generally fell in love with it. This version of Barcelona is a much grittier side to the city, and Uxibal himself lives in a tiny, cramped apartment, up some stairs that gets him out of breath and weak, especially as his cancerous condition advances. 

Before I go on, it needs to be said: Javier Bardem's acting really enhances the experience, and I cannot say enough how stunning his performance was. There are very few movies where an actor so completely captures a character, to the point where you really feel like you get to know them, to understand their daily experiences and frustrations. Saoirse Ronan's performance in Lady Bird comes to mind, or Joachim Phoenix's performance in The Joker. 

Basically, Uxibal's life is not just a hot mess. Rather, it is a complete disaster, and it just gets worse and worse with each passing day. He makes his living by being a middle man in the black market scene, getting cheap, knock off luxury purses made by undocumented Chinese immigrants to undocumented Africa immigrants, who sell these fake luxury products on the streets. So we get the sense that Uxibal is exploiting these people. What makes Uxibal different than how we imagine such a man to be is that this man actually cares, and tries to do the right thing. Yet, in so doing, he often makes things worse. This is especially true when he decides to buy heaters for the Chinese immigrants, who sleep in the basement of the warehouse where they make the purses. The heaters turn up to leak some kind of gas that poisons and kills 25 of the undocumented Chinese immigrants. 

One of the African guys, meanwhile, has been deported, leaving Ige, his wife, and their baby behind. Diaryatou Daff plays Ige quite convincingly. She feels that she cannot stay in Barcelona, and needs to go back to Senegal, even though her husband has already warned her not to do this, because he makes clear that there are no jobs and no prospects in their home country. They have no future there, but she feels that she has no future here in a strange city in a foreign country where she also cannot find work. Her husband has promised to return, but you can understand why she doubts this. She eventually is drawn closer to Uxibal and his children, and comes to take care of him as his condition deteriorates.

Meanwhile, Uxibal's life is a mess in so many other ways, as well. As mentioned, he finds out that he has a terminal case of cancer, and has weeks to live. His wife, Ana, played brilliantly by Hanaa Bouchaib, is incapable of being a mother to their two children. She is recovering from substance abuse, and we get a clear impression that she has not fully recovered, either. We see him growing weaker and weaker, and never quite able to get his children the secure future that he so desperately wants for them, and works hard to provide for his family. 

This was a powerful, moving story. Again, it is rare to feel like you catch a glimpse of the real lives, behind the scenes, of any characters in movies, let alone so many as in this one. Yes, this is a depressing movie, but it is also, in it's own way, a masterpiece of acting, and a compelling story. Before you know it, you will be hooked. 

Definitely recommended.

The Fireplace in Paramus Closes It’s Doors Permanently

It is with sadness that I post this blog entry about the closing of one of my favorite restaurants: The Fireplace in Paramus, New Jersey.  

The news came to me a few minutes before four in the morning on what turned out to be the final day that The Fireplace would be open for business.  

This place felt a bit like an institution. It was one of the last good independent burger places that had been around for many decades, having opened their doors in 1956. Back then, of course, Paramus was a very different place. Looking at pictures, it looked almost like a small, even somewhat rural town.  

That has changed greatly, obviously. Now, Paramus has some enormous malls and strip malls, and the highways are often choked with traffic. There are a ton of name-brand places. That includes, of course, typical, rather charmless major fastfood chains, dominating the sides of Route 17 as you drive past, with their nauseating neon signs.  

One of the few quality places that had withstood the storm of fastfood chains taking over is now closing it’s doors. The Fireplace is a restaurant that I have been going to for many years, since the nineties at least, and possibly earlier. It always reminded me a lot of Anthony Wayne, another great restaurant right at the intersection of a number of highways (46, 80, and 23), and which had a distinctive style of burgers, as well as orange whip drinks, which were always my favorite drinks to get when we went there. I am not aware of anyplace else that had, or presently has, those orange whip drinks.  

I miss those orange whip drinks. But as for the burgers, the ones at The Fireplace reminded me of those. In fact, the two restaurants felt very similar to me, almost like sister restaurants. They both had rustic appearances, especially on the inside. One of the things I really enjoyed about the Fireplace, at least before the pandemic, was to eat near the literal fireplace. Like Anthony Wayne’s, there was some décor that was reminiscent of the Revolutionary War period. It was a much better experience than eating at your typical fastfood joint, both culinary and aesthetically. Anthony Wayne’s even had a small bit of green space in the back, and my family often went outside when we ate there.  

Now, sadly, there are both gone.  

But I remember going here with a number of friends and family over the course of the years, even decades. It was one of my favorite places to go to with friends from Bergen County. In recent years, my son and I would go there at least once every few months, or so. Normally, we would go there are least two or three times per year. My son really seemed to appreciate this place, as well.  

Another great restaurant, and New Jersey institution, is now gone. Vintage Vinyl, one of the last true music store to pick up great albums, and The Fireplace both closed their doors this month, and I cannot help but wonder what place is next.  

Goodbye to The Fireplace. You will be missed.

Below are some pictures of The Fireplace. The first set were from earlier today, when my son and I went and had one final meal here. I got a cheeseburger and fries, and a nice, cold lemonade, which tasted great and felt sweet after the better part of three hours under the hot sun. He got a Bacon Cheeseburger that looked pretty loaded, a side of fries, and soda. 

There were some local media outlets covering the story, including ABC-7, WPIX-11 for TV, and WNEW, if I am not mistaken, for radio. New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli was out in the parking lot, shaking hands.  N. J. Burkett waas the reporter covering the story for ABC-7, although I am not sure he is in specifically in any of the pictures that I took. 

Some Past Pictures of the Fireplace