Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a Mexican black comedy-drama film, directed and co-written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu along with Nicolás Giacobone. It follows an acclaimed journalist and documentarian who goes on an epic introspective journey to reconcile with the past, the present and his identity.
The cast of the film includes Daniel Giménez Cacho as Silverio Gama, Diego Tello de Meneses, Griselda Siciliani as Lucía Gama, Ximena Lamadrid as Camila Gama, Iker Sanchez Solano as Lorenzo Gama, Jay O. Sanders as Ambassador Jones, Andrés Almeida as Martín, Francisco Rubio as Luis, Rubén Zamora, Mar Carrera as Lucero, Fabiola Guajardo as Tania, Daniel Damuzi as Antonio, José Antonio Toledano as Juan Escutia, María Cobar and Fernanda Borches.
Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Ending Explained
It follows the journey of Silverio, a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles, who, after being named the recipient of a prestigious international award, is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will push him to an existential limit. It grapples him with universal yet intimate questions about identity, success, mortality, the history of Mexico and the deeply emotional familial bonds he shares with his wife and children.
Within the first few minutes of the film, we encounter a peculiar scene of childbirth where the baby is put back inside the womb. This sets the tone of the film as being quite surreal and whimsical. What it really represents is losing their first newborn son Mateo within 30 hours of his birth and not being able to move on from the loss – as they keep the ashes in the box.
On the professional front, Silverio Gama thinks that he is only receiving the award to ease tensions between the United States and Mexico (inflamed by negative perceptions of U.S-Mexico migration as well as Amazon’s attempts to purchase the Mexican state of Baja California). He feels like an imposter who doesn’t belong in any of the places. It makes him cancel a talk show appearance because he fears that people will question his national pride and priority.
Secretly, he feels guilty over emigrating to the US when so many other Mexicans cannot leave, which was shown in his documentary for which he is getting an award. Even when he reunites with his siblings and extended family, at a party in his honour, he is indifferent and jokingly made fun of by them for leaving his country and about his artistic work.
After an argument with the talk show host, Silverio flees into the restroom, where he imagines reconciliations with his deceased father and mother. leading to actually visiting his mother where, when he leaves the apartment, symbolic representations of historic atrocities in Mexico lie in front. Hundreds of people signifying those kidnapped or killed by organized crime collapse in a commercial district, and Hernán Cortés sits atop a pile of corpses in the Zócalo, lecturing Silverio about the indigenous genocide.
Before travelling back to Los Angeles, Silverio and his family vacation in Baja California just as Amazon buys the state. There we see the strong familial ties as he gets to know his daughter Camila better and they finally decide to scatter Mateo’s ashes in the ocean – letting go of the guilt they have been carrying. before leaving for the US, where they are treated with contempt by a Hispanic-American customs official.
On their way back, his son Lorenzo reveals the story of how his pet axolotls died, when they moved to the US and at the immigration, Silverio gets agitated when the officer tells him that the US is not his home even if he has lived here for 15 years. It actually signifies the fear in his head that one day he will be disowned by both places, leaving him with no place to call home.
After coming back to LA he decides to buy axolotls for Lorenzo and on the LA Metro ride from the pet store – which was shown at the start of the film as well – we finally understand what happened. Silverio has a violent stroke, leaving him completely paralysed and languishes in a coma.
We see that Camila accepts the award in Silverio’s absence, and she and his other family members and friends sit by his bedside, holding conversations and playing songs or television broadcasts. Here we realise that the film so far has been the memories of Silverio, playing in his head and everything happening around him in real time, affecting his brain activity as well.
The film ends as it began, with Silverio imagining himself flying through the desert, it is not clear if he has eventually died and is on his way to the afterlife/next life or about to wake up with a new understanding of his life. But for the most part, it can be interpreted as his passing away since his flying shadow doesn’t land in the end.
Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is currently streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Beast of Bangalore Indian Predator Review: Umesh Reddy and The Fault in Our Justice System