00:00Hi, welcome back to my channel. In this video, I will explain the ending of Bardo, False
00:04Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. So, let's begin.
00:08Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, is a 2022 drama satire film directed by Alejandro
00:14G. Inarritu, spoilers for the film's ending follow.
00:18Bardo opens with a man running extremely fast and then flying across a desert. We are then
00:23introduced to Silverio Gama aboard the Los Angeles Metro Rail, returning from a pet store.
00:29He is a Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker residing in Los Angeles. He lives
00:34with his wife Lucia and son Lorenzo. Silverio is shown to be an odd character who looks
00:39at the world through a fantastical lens, often immersed in vivid imagination rather than
00:44reality. His latest project, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a hot topic of discussion
00:50that sheds light on his troubled life.
00:52Silverio and Lucia are also plagued by the death of their firstborn son Mateo, who passed
00:57the day after he was born. The couple finds it difficult to move on from the tragedy and
01:02keep his ashes with them. Moving on with his life, Silverio goes to meet America's ambassador
01:07to Mexico at Chapultepec Castle where the two discuss the 1847 Battle of Chapultepec,
01:13among other things. The filmmaker's brain goes into overdrive and he imagines the bloody
01:18exchange between soldiers right in front of him. Silverio also discovers that he will
01:23be receiving the prestigious Aletheia Award for Journalistic Ethics, becoming the first
01:27Latin American to do so. Unfortunately, his mind convinces him that this move is America's
01:32desperate attempt to ease the rising tensions with Mexico. It is stated that this difficult
01:37situation arose due to Amazon's attempts to purchase the Mexican state of Baja California,
01:42along with a negative attitude towards Yubta'a's Mexico migration. The seasoned journalist
01:47tries his best to deal with media criticism back home. He internally feels guilty about
01:52moving to America since so many people in Mexico can't do it legally. Furthermore, he
01:57cancels an interview last minute but imagines being criticized for everything he's done,
02:02including his decision to run away from home at 16. He takes time to think about his life
02:07as a father and a husband as well. Does Silverio accept the award? Does his mind become his
02:13ally? Do Silverio and Lucia move on from Mateo's death? Eventually, Silverio and his family
02:20go to a party organized for him in Mexico. He is ecstatic to catch up with his working
02:25daughter Camila but is quite indifferent towards his siblings and other relatives. There is
02:30a screening of his latest documentary, which gets massive applause. The talk show host
02:35Luis, whose interview he canceled, is also present. He uses harsh words to criticize
02:40his work and calls Silverio out for using a metaphorical narrative to talk about his
02:44own life. He retaliates by berating Luis' opinion-peddling style of journalism that
02:48showcases everything but the truth. Eventually, sneaking into the toilet, away from the public
02:54eye, Silverio imagines reuniting with his deceased father and mother. In his vision,
03:00after he leaves his mother's place, he witnesses representations of historic atrocities in
03:04Mexico. Furthermore, he notices a huge pile of corpses over which, he speaks to Hernán
03:10Cortés, a Spanish conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec
03:14Empire, who speaks to him about indigenous genocide. Before going back to L.A., Silverio
03:20and his family spend time in Baja California, as Amazon buys the state. Camila reveals that
03:26she wants to quit her job in America to move back to Mexico. The family finally decides
03:31to scatter Mateo's ashes in the ocean before leaving for the U.S.
03:35What happens to Silverio? After landing, the family is triggered by an annoying Latin American
03:40customs official, who pokes them about their American citizenship. Back home, Silverio
03:46steps out to clear his head and goes to buy axolotls. He gets the salamanders as a surprise
03:52because Lorenzo reminds him of when his old ones died. He takes the metro rail on the
03:56way back, and it is revealed to be the same scene that is shown in the beginning. In reality,
04:02Silverio suffered a massive stroke aboard the train and was left unattended for hours.
04:07He is finally taken to the hospital where he slips into a coma. The film then explains
04:12that all the distorted visions and moments that have been shown so far are his dying
04:16brain's efforts to make sense of his life.
04:19Does Silverio survive? At the ceremony, Camila accepts the Aletheia Award and reads her father's
04:25speech, which is also something his brain comprehends in a convoluted manner. The next
04:30scene showcases the unconscious protagonist on his bed, surrounded by family and friends.
04:36They have been switching on the television, playing songs, talking, and unknowingly influencing
04:40Silverio's dreams. In another dream, he sees himself in bed and walks out of his house
04:45into a barren desert. There, he notices a copy of himself, who mimics his actions for
04:50a bit but then walks away.
04:53Silverio traverses the desert and reconnects with his deceased family. He ignores the calls
04:58from his wife and children and starts flying through the desert, just like at the beginning
05:02of the film. His fate in the real world is left ambiguous.
05:07That's all for now folks. I would appreciate it if you could give the video a super thanks
05:11with a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel, so you can see more content like this every
05:15day, take care, bye!
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