If you like off-beat, slices of life deep to the bone, this is your kind of flick. Javier Bardem delivers Uxbal, a believable good-bad guy who shifts his values to keep himself and his two kids alive in the back streets of Barcelona. For anyone facing the downhill side of 50, Buitiful covers all the spiritual bases: life after death; how to live a virtuous existence; how to determine what's right from what seems wrong. Love for the flawed characters oozes from every frame of Biutiful. Uxbal, is exploited as much as he exploits immigrants in this vaunted tourist destination. He's not above taking money for "helping" the dead move on from the living. Nor is he immune to the pulls of humanity's softer side: the erratic love of his mentally ill wife or the desperation of an African woman and her baby. When Uxbal sees a short time to make a difference, he tries with unexpected results. Warning: not everything is spelled out. This story is as "Buitiful" as the whole human race.

Gutturuly depressing. I had to step out for 10 minutes at one point for fresh air, as Inarriti and Bardem were able to grab and tear at my gut and soul, making me feel literally ill.....it was that good.....and bad. You have to see it yourself and make up your mind.