In the latest drama from Alejandro González Iñárritu, an underworld fixer in Barcelona struggles to deal with his family’s future and his own mortality.

Uxbal (Javier Bardem) oversees an illegal underground operation involving immigrant workers, drugs and construction, whilst also trying to be a good man to his ex-wife (Maricel Álvarez) and his two children (Hanaa Bouchaib and Guillermo Estrella).

Notable for an outstanding lead performance from Bardem, the latest feature from Iñárritu powerfully explores the dark edges of a modern city and the lives of those who live in it.

It marks a break from Iñárritu’s triptych of films with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and I recently spoke with the director in London about his latest work.

N.B. The title of the film refers to the orthographical spelling in Spanish of the English word beautiful as it would sound to native Spanish speakers.