With ‘Bardo,’ Alejandro G. Iñárritu Returns to Mexico

Venice, Italy (AP) -- Alejandro G. Iñárritu left Mexico with his family on Sept. 1, 2001. They’d decided to move to Los Angeles for one year. But one turned into 21. In Los Angeles, Iñárritu’s filmmaking career flourished: He won five Oscars, two for directing and one for best picture, and worked with many of the top movie stars. But he longed for Mexico.

His new film “Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)” is both his return to his home country and a deeply personal (and utterly surreal) expression and interpretation of that longing. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival Thursday night, where it is among the competition titles.