Gritty and Gripping
Being a huge Javier Bardem fan, I was eager to see Biutiful, without knowing in advance much about the story of the movie.
While I was certainly not disappointed with any aspect of this movie, including wonderful acting performances, precise, skillful direction and a gripping story, I was not prepared for the depth of sadness and despair the movie conveyed, with an incredibly realistic look at lives of people with no candy coating of how trying and downright frightening people's lives can be, mostly in an attempt to survive and maintain family and other relationships.
This movie seems to force the viewer to participate in the reality of all of this despair, which is an amazing feat. There is subtle, very well executed cinematography throughout as well.
I look forward to viewing it again, (although need for a few months to pass before I do because of the intensity) because it has so many messages and metaphors that most can relate to on some level.