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Author Topic: Biutiful vs Children of Men  (Read 2482 times)

gerryburns

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Biutiful vs Children of Men
« on: February 15, 2011, 09:17:13 PM »

Alfonso Cuaron and Inarritu are both Mexican, born in Mexico City.  Biutiful and Children of Men share some intriguing similarities.

1.  Both have political themes, focusing on immigration, though neither film shows any Mexican immigrants.  In Children of Men, everyone except British citizens are immigrants and are treated cruelly, segregated, killed, etc. In COM, immigrants are caged and put on reservations.  In Biutiful, they're confined to sweat shops and live in basements; those working the streets are subject to the kind of roundups we see in COM.

2. In both films, the protagonists are anti-heroes, though with redeeming qualities. Uxbal cares for his children and tries to care for the immigrants.  His journey is an atonement for his sins before he dies.  In COM, Theo's journey becomes redemptive as he overcomes his failings to save humanity. 

3.  Even though COM is set in the future, the society is recognizable and doesn't differ that much from the backstreets of Barcelona.  Both show a population that is teeming, chaotic, corrupt, dangerous.

4.  In both films, hope is carried by a black woman.  In COM, the black woman's pregnancy saves humanity but also helps Theo overcome his failings by getting her to Tomorrow.  In Biutiful, Ige, the black woman, allows Uxbal to die in peace and complete his atonement by becoming a mother to his children.

What do you think?  Am I stretching it to find commonalities between these two films, both strong visions by two Mexican directors? 

Both films presented a very grim, nearly hopeless vision of the worlds inhabited by their protagonists.  Biutiful was relentlessly dismal and even the end, with Ige on the ceiling, suggested that maybe Ige did not return and Uxbal was delusional (however, I've read that the director claims that she did return, which then provided the only glimmer of hope in the film).  COM was almost cheery in comparison. While we don't know whether Theo died, we do know that the woman was safely delivered to Tomorrow and thus set the stage for saving humanity. 
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Beavermoose

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Re: Biutiful vs Children of Men
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2011, 08:51:55 AM »
This should be a poll.
And Cuaron's worst>Innarittu's best

StudentOFilm

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Re: Biutiful vs Children of Men
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2011, 10:09:42 AM »
I was thinking a three-way poll with the three producers of Cha Cha Cha Productions- Del Toro, Cuaron, and Inarritu.

Interesting comparisons, by the way. Not a stretch.
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gerryburns

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Re: Biutiful vs Children of Men
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2011, 07:01:35 PM »

I don't know how to poll, but the idea of one intrigues me.  If you want, be my guest.

I wonder if there's some kind of competitive thing between these directors.  I think they are the same age, too.

Cuaron is directing a new movie called Gravity about a woman adrift in a spaceship(?)....I think. 
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1SO

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Re: Biutiful vs Children of Men
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2011, 07:14:02 PM »
I don't know how to poll, but the idea of one intrigues me.  If you want, be my guest.

The only way to make it less than a complete blowout is this...

Cuaron's worst > Innarittu's best