Alejandro G. Iñárritu Wraps Production On New Film Bardo (Or False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths)

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director of "Birdman," "The Revenant," and more, has wrapped production on his latest film. The movie has the delightfully pretentious title "Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)," and it's the filmmaker's first entirely Mexican project in 20 years. Daniel Jimenez Cacho and Griselda Siciliani star in the film, which follows a Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns to his native country. 

Looks like Alejandro Iñárritu, the acclaimed filmmaker that many film lovers love to hate, already has his next feature in the can. Word was sent out today that the "Birdman" director's latest is called "Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)," and that it's just wrapped production in Mexico City. That wordy title recalls the full title of "Birdman," which was "Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," because of course it was. 

The film was written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Nicolás Giacobone, and is described as "a nostalgic comedy set against an epic journey." Here's a brief synopsis: 

A chronicle of uncertainties where the main character, a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker, returns to his native country facing his identity, familial relationships, the folly of his memories as well as the past and new reality of his country.

The news about the film also adds this little bit of trivia:

20 years after shooting his first film, Amores Perros, and more recently The Revenant, Birdman and Virtual Installation Carne y Arena, the five-time Oscar winner returned to his native country, Mexico, to produce and shoot this new and entirely Mexican project.

Daniel Jimenez Cacho and Griselda Siciliani star in "Bardo." The cinematography was handled by Darius Khondji, the production design is by Eugenio Caballero, and the costume design is by Anna Terrazas. There's no release date yet, and it doesn't seem like a distributor is officially on board yet. But Iñárritu is a multi-Oscar winner, so I'm sure he'll have no problem finding his latest a home. 

Lots of my colleagues, film fans one and all, seem to downright loath Mr. Iñárritu, and I've never quite understood that. Sure, he can be a tad pretentious. But pretentiousness is a trait in a lot of artists. Don't get me wrong – I don't think Iñárritu is some master filmmaker who deserves universal acclaim. But I also don't think he's as bad an egg as the denizens of Film Twitter make him out to be. I actually thought "Birdman" was quite good. I can't say the same thing for "The Revenant," which felt bloated and dull to me – but I appreciate the filmmaking that went into the flick, particularly the gorgeous cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki. "Bardo" sounds like a very personal project for Iñárritu. It also sounds a lot smaller than his previous films. So it'll be interesting to see how audiences react to this whenever it finds its way to theaters.