"Beautiful People" is the most incredible film that I've "discovered" on video in quite some time. When it arrived in my video store a few weeks ago, I had never heard of it, but I was intrigued by the wonderful accolades scattered all over the box. I finally got a chance to watch it last night, and I cannot stop telling everyone I run into about it. In the tradition of such films as "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia" (the latter of which I admit I have not yet seen) (* edit note 9/7 - I've now seen "Magnolia," and I can't decide which is better :), it's too close), "Beautiful People" explores the everyday lives of several families in England and the surprising ways in which they are connected. It is a whole hour shorter than the three hour running times of "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia," yet it manages to pack in just as many vivid human emotions and hit you just as hard with its truth and message.
"Beautiful People" opens with a fast paced scene involving two men who fight for no apparent reason all over London, England, where most of the film is set, until they each end up in the hospital. It turns out that they are Bosnian refugees, one a Serb, one a Croat. They end up sharing a room, with one other easily-bothered patient, in the hospital.
Another story, perhaps the main one in the film, begins with a shot of three troubled youths who desperately want to get to the day's World Cup soccer match between Holland and England. High on heroine, one of the young men stumbles into a cargo load that is about to be flown in and dumped in war-torn Bosnia. Having passed out underneath the blanket that covers the load, he ends up being dumped along with the food supplies into the middle of warfare. I will not give away any more of this story, but even though it is probably the least realistic of all the stories in the film, it will touch you nonetheless with its blatant honesty and humanity.
Back in London, a third story begins with a foreigner, who speaks very little English, making a trek to the deli. There, he eyes a woman across the room and gives her a friendly smile as is his nature. Annoyed by his looks, the woman takes off, mistakenly leaving her wallet behind. The foreigner sees this, grabs the wallet, and runs after her to return it to her. Of course she believes he is chasing after her for other reasons, which causes her to get a police woman who she spots involved. This comical and even touching chase ends in a tragic manner that gets the foreigner taken to the same hospital at which the Serb and Croat are staying. There, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young nurse-in-training from an aristocratic family.
Still other stories are well-developed around these unique characters. One involves a closer look at this nurse's family and their snobbish and selfish views on the world that are interrupted by their daughter's unlikely romance. Another story involves a reporter who films a documentary on the war for the BBC and in effect loses his mind from his experiences in the middle of war.
Yet another touching story involves a doctor's struggle with a couple who beg for him to perform an abortion on their baby who is due any day. He tries to convince them of the beauty of life, yet they protest because the woman was raped by soldiers, and in effect, is carrying the "enemy" inside of her. The doctor's struggle to make them understand the beauty found in all of life is the main theme of the film that is exhibited in all of these stories.
"Beautiful People" is obviously a very complicated film. Even with all of its political and social implications, it is fairly easy to follow once you understand exactly what it going on in each situation. It is also a unbelievable feat that Jasmin Dizdar, the Bosnian director, was able to pack all of these incredible stories into under two hours of film.
Like any film near the top of my list, "Beautiful People" is not short on emotional impact. It is often hilarious, often terribly sad and moving, and sometimes even exhilarating and joyful. I was literally moved to tears of sadness, and then only a few minutes later, emitting tears of joy. I cannot say that I have ever seen a film able to have this much impact in so many different ways so quickly.
Even though you will likely only recognize one or two members of the large cast of actors in the film, every one of them gives a flawless performance. They are all wonderfully cast and obviously understood the emotional importance of the film they were making.
"Beautiful People" premiered at the Cannes film festival in May of 1999, and it received a very limited US release in March of 2000. Perhaps my only complaint about the film is that I don't know whether to include it on my best of 1999 or best of 2000 list. If I were to choose best of 1999, I would have to modify my top twenty films of the 90s to include this little known masterpiece. However, I think I will consider it a film from the year 2000, and for all intensive purposes, at this point I do not believe a better film has emerged this young millennium. "Beautiful People" is available to rent at many video stores, and it is available to purchase on dvd. I purchased my dvd copy today, and I strongly encourage you to seek out this gem in any form you choose.
"Beautiful People" gets my highest recommendation possible, and I hope to see more reviews on this wonderful film soon!
Rated R for drug use, language, and realistic violent content
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