I asked my fellow movie-goer, and another player in 'The Challenge' if he thought they titled the movie 'Biutiful' because ironically it wasn't. What a rough watch that was, and I've sat through some rough watches this season.
I drove home desperately wanting some warm milk to calm my stomach. I hoped fervently to fall asleep and dream of anything but the sights from that movie. I kept waiting for a resolution at the end of the film... a happy one, a sad one, a hopeful/balanced one. There wasn't any. I was left staring at the screen at the as the credits rolled, doubled over in hysterical laughter because any other response would have sent me looking for an oven to stick my head in. I'm sorry, that's awful, but that's how strongly I reacted to this movie.
In an effort to be open-minded, I attempted to look for the positives. When I couldn't find any, I attempted to understand why film festivals and the Academy were drawn to this offering. Firstly, Javier Bardem is amazing. Any actor able to carry a film like this and shoulder the burden of this intense material (and still look handsome through it) deserves some major awardage. Secondly, I think the film is such a wake-up call, to many who feel our crosses are heavy, that it could be so much heavier. In developed countries, without educating ourselves, we have NO idea of the traumas suffered daily by those in underdeveloped and corrupt areas if the world.
I would love to pursue an education in world cinema. I am missing a body of knowledge that helps me understand the random, multiple storylines and morose auras of foreign films.
It's in moments like these that I begin to question why I am doing The Challenge at all.
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3+ years later and I'm still traumatized.
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