Alejandro G. Iñárritu Says There Is A “Racist Undercurrent” In The Negative Reviews Of ‘Bardo’

Over the weekend, we saw a number of high-profile films get major premieres at the Venice Film Festival. One of the most anticipated features to debut is Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Bardo.” The film marks the director’s first feature since 2015’s Oscar-winning “The Revenant” and many were curious how Iñárritu would return. Well, if the early reviews are any indication, “Bardo” might not be the Oscar contender that we have come to expect from Iñárritu. Instead, the film has been receiving some harsh criticism, which the Mexican filmmaker feels might have racist undertones. 

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Alejandro G. Iñárritu talked about the inspiration for his new film, “Bardo” and he defends the film against the wave of critics who have been taking shots at the feature. For those unaware, “Bardo” tells the story of a famous journalist/documentary filmmaker who comes back to Mexico after winning a prestigious award.

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While this is far from the only critique of the film, in early reviews, there are critics who call “Bardo” a bit self-indulgent due to a variety of factors. Many of them see this film as an autobiographical feature with an extended run-time and a bit of a meandering plot. This is a criticism that is actually brought up in the film itself, as the main character is told similar things about a film he’s working on. And it’s a critique that Iñárritu said makes him “laugh my ass off.” But he’s worried a bit more about why the criticism is coming for him, specifically. The filmmaker believes it comes down to his Mexican heritage.

“I think that I have the right to explore identity because I have been through this sense of displacement and I think I have the right to talk about that,” Iñárritu explained. “I think I have the right to talk about the collective identity of my own country. This film is a love letter to my country, and I have the privilege that I can use my voice to really talk not only for Mexicans but for anyone who feels displaced.”

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He continued, “This [film] is not self-referential. This is not narcissistic. It’s not me. But I want somebody to explain why I don’t have the right to talk about something that is very important for me and for my family. If I maybe was from Denmark or if I was Swedish I would be a philosopher. But because I did it in a powerful way visually I am pretentious because I’m Mexican. If you’re a Mexican and you make a film like that, you’re a pretentious guy.”

Iñárritu added that “identity politics” is at the “heart of the conflict of the character,” and the filmmaker believes that critics think that because he’s Mexican, talking about such things is perceived as “too pretentious, too self-indulgent.”

“If it was a blond guy, another director, they can talk about their culture — their culture is something we understand,” the filmmaker explained. “You can like it or not — that’s not the discussion. But for me, there’s a kind of racist undercurrent where because I’m Mexican, I’m pretentious. If you don’t understand something, you don’t need to blame anybody. Guys, take a little time and see all the layers.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the general public views “Bardo,” when the film finally hits Netflix before the end of the year.