Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
A renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles, after being named the recipient of a prestigious international award, is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will push him to an existential limit.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 3, 2025
A challenging watch to be sure, but if you can manage the 160 minute pseudo-autobiographical lucid dream you’re rewarded with an a immaculately visualized reflection on life, cultural identity, success and privilege. Iñárritu‘s direction constantly blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. The perpetually moving camera is continually changing the perspective and focus never allowing the viewer to settle into one viewpoint. These blurred lines, however, can distort the images in our self reflection—life reflects death, success reflects failure, privilege reflects disadvantage and your personal identity can literally be lost in the translation (from spanish to english perhaps).
“Life is just a brief series of senseless events. You must succumb to it.”
This is definitely not a film for everyone. It took me starting this 3 different times, to finally get through it as this isn’t one of those films you can passively watch while you’re doing something else. I was glad that I finally did, though.