BARDO, False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths (2022) | Review

Bardo is an incredibly stylised and a visual odyssey, a spectacle of physicality and creativity. Pushing the boundaries of cinema to create something utterly fascinating. Often the stylised moments are favoured over the plot, meaning the artistic moments overshadow the story and it starts to make very little sense- which id assume, is the ambition. Although, regardless of any narrative the camera angles, bold colours and creative camera choices are so pleasing to the eye. Bardo is more like a work or art than a film, rather than having a compelling story or characters it has compelling visuals which make up for the lack of plot.

Sadly it felt like not a lot happened, the first 10 minutes felt like a dream, with no reality, no functionality and truly no need. After the first 10 minutes the plot starts to reveal itself a little more but still lacking in any integral characters or plot lines. One stand out moments were the dance scene to David Bowie, a beautifully choreographed scene with electric music and memorable dance moves. Also, the airport scene was one of my favourites. A raw depiction of reality in an out of this world movie, it brought the narrative back to earth and felt like one of the most empathetic and sensitive scenes of the whole movie. Overall, Bardo was a confusing feature, definitely not for every kind of viewer. If you enjoy a film which will keep you on your toes, shock and surprise you and ultimately leave you scratching your head- Bardo is the film for you.