In a departure from its usual business model, Netflix has agreed to screen Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iárritu’s latest film in U.S. and Mexican theatres before releasing it online. “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, is a three-hour epic that follows the memories and fears of a Mexican journalist reflecting on his life’s journey.
It is Iárritu’s first film since his 2015 drama “The Revenant,” which won him an Oscar for best director. It is funny, surreal, and visually stunning. It’s also his first Netflix film. “I am so grateful to Netflix because they not only gave me complete support and freedom, but they also allowed me to release this film in Mexico in many cinemas and in the United States for seven weeks,” Iárritu said.
“This is something unprecedented that I really appreciated,” he added, explaining that he believed his Spanish-language film would benefit from being seen on a large screen. “Bardo” will be released in Mexican theatres on October 27 and in select US theatres on November 4, before arriving on Netflix on December 16. Iárritu, on the other hand, stated that he had no intention of going “against the prevailing tide” of online film launches, claiming that as a film student, he had seen many movie masterpieces on video.
