From Bowie to Buñuel: Alejandro G. Iñárritu Shares His Inspirations Behind ‘Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths’

Alexander González

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At Netflix Bardo, false chronicle of a handful of truths, Daniel Giménez Cacho plays Silverio Gama, a renowned documentary filmmaker who is set to receive a prestigious award for his career as a journalist when he returns to his native Mexico after living with his family in Los Angeles for decades. The epic black comedy, which is Mexico’s official nomination for the Oscar for best international feature film, is a deeply personal project by four-time Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who compares his latest film to the Mexican soup called pozole – “a mixture of a tremendous amount of stuff” – which speaks to the shared loneliness of the immigrant experience, especially for those who feel homeless. The film sees Gama weaving his own memories and the present, as well as interacting with central figures in Mexico’s complex history and culture. In writing the script for the film, Iñárritu turned to “the great authors” of Latin American literature, among them the writers Octavio Paz, Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez, whom he describes as “foreigners who have stormed the world” with their literary achievements. . Music from his youth, particularly concept albums by progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd and Genesis, also made its way into Iñárritu’s dreamlike film, as did the work of Spanish director Luis Buñuel and American photographer Vivian. Mayer.

Viviane Mayer

Viviane Mayer

Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The Chicago-based photographer, whose prolific work was discovered shortly before her death in 2009, captured hundreds of thousands of images of everyday people she encountered while exploring the Midwestern city. While most of his work was in black and white, Iñárritu says his color photographs inspired the film’s palette, especially during its more ethereal moments.

The maze of loneliness

The maze of loneliness

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Iñárritu considers Octavio Paz one of the greatest Mexican writers. “It’s the most accurate description of the feeling of being Mexican, no matter where you are in your country or outside the country,” says the director. “He wrote it when he was living in Europe, with a distance that requires. … For me, it’s a bible or an x-ray of a Mexican soul, with a lot of thoughts and emotions that triggered for me what was crucial for the film.

The Phantom of Liberty

The Phantom of Liberty

20th Century-Fox Film Corp/ Courtesy Everett Collection

The great surrealist author Luis Buñuel, who made films in France, Mexico and his native Spain, had a major influence on Iñárritu. The bardo The director says Buñuel’s 1974 dark comedy, a series of vignettes confusing morals and social ideals, is a particular favourite. “It’s the most sophisticated and liberating way to make a film without narrative or structure,” says Iñárritu. “bardo is not a story without a story, it is a walk in the consciousness of the character.

The Lamb Lays Down on Broadway

The Lamb Lays Down on Broadway

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Iñárritu says he was an avid fan of the progressive rock movement, and this 1974 Genesis concept album — the band’s last to feature original frontman Peter Gabriel — tells the story of Orion, a Puerto Rican immigrant living in New York. who wonders about his identity. The evocative cover, designed by English design group Hipgnosis, features a figure that Iñárritu describes as “a spiritual presence [who sees] himself trapped in all these black and white vignettes.

david bowie

david bowie

Courtesy of Everett Collection

A pivotal moment in the film is a sequence in which Gama and his family celebrate to Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” Iñárritu says that this particular song exudes joy and makes the listener, in his words, “almost want to smile to death.” In the film, the track is reduced to just Bowie’s vocals, creating an otherworldly sense as Gama gets lost in the music on the dance floor.

This story first appeared in a standalone November issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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