Bardo Trailer: Alejandro G. Iñarritu's Dreamy New Movie Is Now 22 Minutes Shorter

You're never going to believe it, but Alejandro G. Iñárritu has made an elaborately-titled, darkly comedic drama exploring the messy personal and professional lives of an artist who, in one of the film's many surreal moments, flies around through the air in a flowing single take.

Titled "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths," the film is the latest from the director of "The Revenant" and "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," and the first he's shot in his native Mexico since 2000's "Amores perros." Daniel Giménez Cacho stars as Silverio Gama, a revered Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who decides to return to his homeland after being named the recipient of "a prestigious international award." If it's a Golden Globe then, well, I have bad news for you, buddy...

Upon returning to Mexico, Silverio is beset by his memories of the past and fears about his future, all of which start to bleed together with his life in the present. Does "Bardo" sound a whole lot like Iñárritu's version of "8 1/2?" Very much so! Is it anywhere near as good as Federico Fellini's meta-fictional, surrealist classic? Based on the early reviews following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, not so much.

Don't count Iñárritu out of this year's awards race just yet, though. In addition to teaming up with trailer editing specialist Mark Woollen ("TÁR," "White Noise") to cut together a pretty snazzy, wordless sneak preview accompanied by The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" (a proper mood-setter if there ever was one for this film), Iñárritu has cut a whopping 22 minutes from the version of "Bardo" that screened in Venice, bringing its runtime down to a still-lengthy two hours and 32 minutes minus credits.

Speaking to IndieWire, Iñárritu explained that he was inspired to revise "Bardo" after watching it with the Venice crowd:

"The first time I saw my film was with 2,000 people in Venice. That was a nice opportunity to see it and learn about things that could benefit from being tied up a bit, add one scene that never arrived on time, and move the order of one or two things. Little by little, I tightened it, and I am very excited about it."

Iñárritu directed "Bardo" from a script he co-penned with his writing partner Nicolás Giacobone, on top of producing the film and editing it with Mónica Salazar. The film marks Iñárritu's first time collaborating with "The Lost City of Z" and "Uncut Gems" director of photography Darius Khondji, who seems to have done a terrific job of emulating the graceful, arresting visual style of Emmanuel Lubezki's Oscar-winning cinematography for "Birdman" and "The Revenant," judging by this trailer.

That being said, if you were worried Iñárritu was going to disappear up his own butt after winning a combined four Oscars for his last two films (assuming you felt he hadn't already), it appears "Bardo" may do little to assuage your fears, no matter how long the runtime.

"Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" opens in theaters on November 18, 2022, before streaming on Netflix on December 16, 2022.