Alejandro González Iñárritu is one of the most powerful voices of 21^st century cinema.

Ever since ‘Amores Perros’, followed by ‘21 Grams’, and “Babel”, Iñárritu has not stopped amazing us managing with each film to take our collective breath away.

So imagine what he can do with immensely talented powerhouse Javier Bardem as the anti- hero of his new bone-chilling Greek tragedy.

No wonder the Cannes jury gave Bardem the Palme d’Or for best Actor.

Uxbal, a black-market dealer, learns he has terminal cancer. He must survive long enough to find somebody to take care of his children after he’s gone. The clock is ticking. Death is coming.

Iñárritu’s genius is to make us care deeply for such a man.

In the urban jungle we barely recognize as Barcelona, Uxbal deals in human lives, supplying black market labor to employers who exploit the illegal immigrants cruelly and shamelessly.

He also “sells” peace to bereaved relatives, having the power to communicate with the spirits of the recently deceased.

With all his supernatural powers, Uxbal is helpless in the face of the terrible disease eating away at his body and soul.

Even though he is to blame for the death of no less than two dozen illegal workers, we can’t help but feel deeply touched by his tragic destiny, as he expresses his unconditional love to his children.

In a world so bleak there is very little hope, his willingness to go to all ends to protect the children against all harm redeems him.

The stunning cinematography, the haunting music, but above all, the genius of a director and an actor who have gone way beyond the call of duty to make Biutiful what it really is:  A film which will stay with you forever.