Orthographical

Biutiful is not just the movie that has earned Javier Bardem an Oscar nomination, "biutiful" is an example of orthography.  Orthography is the writing system that, via script, represents a particular language.  So, over and over in my head, before seeing this excellent movie, I was repeating the title with all sorts of strange emphasis.  It looked like "beautiful", but should it sound like "beautiful"?  The way Inarritu's latest film uses it, it is an orthographical combination of Spanish and English.  So, I settled on a pronunciation that involves me saying "burrito" silently first and then rolling out "biutiful" with an especially lavish emphasis on the "u" and a hand gesture that doesn't actually mean anything except that I'm being emphatic because I'm channeling Latin vibes.

The linguistic layer is just one of many that the film employs to bring themes that extend beyond cultures, borders and times.  In that regard, it feels very much like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez magical realism undertaking.  The setting of Barcelona was stunning in its emotional effectiveness.  The city served not just as a complex metropolitan hub but also as a character itself, and not an entirely warm and likable one.

Even in the clutches of cancer, Bardem is entirely magnetic, and the movie stayed with me much more like an observational experience than a passive film viewing.  Among my favorite simple pastimes is sneaking food, in particular Mexican food (or anything that requires salsa), into the theater to munch while watching.  Bitutiful was no exception, and considering I forgot to grab napkins, I conquered my quesadilla like a champ.  The salsa, however, stayed with me almost as long as the sentiment.  I put my pajamas on to find a significant salsa drip running the length of what might be deemed my decolletage.  Yum/yium.

Life sometimes can be orthographical.
Orthography: –noun.

  the art of writing words with the proper letters, according to accepted usage; correct spelling