Bardo is proudly strange. Striving to be abstract art, it's emotionally elusive but viscerally striking. Through a dreamlike structure, Bardo ponders nationalism, inequality, impermanence, family, integrity, memory, identity, and existentialism. Plus, it adds unusual setup/payoff, meta awareness, vivid metaphors, and a love/hate internal conflict. Bardo lacks regular relatability (with cryptic drama, philosophical characters, and a peripheral plot), but its bittersweet relationships are its core. Although some will find it incohesive and pretentious, its ambition is undeniable and its acting is vulnerable. Ultimately, Bardo surrenders grounded consistency for psychological exploration.
Technically, Bardo is a triumph. Its bold editing might feel meandering, but it's a stream-of-consciousness structure achieved through hidden transitions, match cuts, and extended takes. The imagery employs hypnotic lighting, composition, lenses, movement, framing, color, focus, and angles for trippy symbolism. Its music is trans-diegetic, juxtaposing, eclectic, and narratively punctuating. The fantastical sound uses breathing, nature, echoes, voiceovers, split cuts, silence, motifs, and distortions. Finally, the varied effects are surreal and the aesthetic production design is imaginative. Overall, Bardo is vibrantly experimental, providing polarizing entertainment but magnificent craft.
Writing: 7/10
Direction: 10/10
Cinematography: 10/10
Acting: 8/10
Editing: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10
Production Design: 9/10
Casting: 7/10
Effects: 9/10
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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