Biutiful (2010)
A man living in Barcelona struggles as a single parent to provide for his two kids. He gets paid to arrange work for illegal immigrants and manage the sale of forged designer goods. Oh, and he also makes a few bucks for the service of passing messages back and forth between loved-ones and their recently deceased.

This is a touching tale of a man who brings a lot of heart to the dog-eat-dog world of illegal immigrants working in Barcelona. Intimate images, gut-wrenching tension, tough choices, messy realities. Javier Bardem so fully inhabits his role in this movie, I can’t imagine anyone else successfully carrying it. Many other fine acts besides. I can’t stop thinking about this movie.

by