If you’re into movies and follow the art form beyond blockbuster territory, you’ve probably/hopefully thatAlejandro González Iñárritu. He’s been an active filmmaker for more than a couple of decades now, and has made arguably some of the best films of the 21st century to date, and right from the start of his career as a feature film director, too.Amores perros(2000) was a remarkable feature debut, and was followed up by the also compelling21 Grams(2003). Other successes includeBiutful(2010), and most recently, Iñárritu also directedBardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths(2022), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.
But to focus on the stuff of his that won Oscars, rather than merely getting nominated for them, there are three to date: all movies that Alejandro González Iñárritu directed between 2006 and 2015. It might not be fair to say that they’re his very best, considering how goodAmores perrosis, for example, butthis trio of movies is an impressive one in any event. When there are only a few titles to consider, and all those titles are very good, a ranking becomes a somewhat difficult thing to do, but there’s no problem with tackling a challenge every now and then. And a challenge is what is very apparent here, because what follows is a ranking of three movies that Iñárritu directed that won one or more Oscar, and all of them are great. So, keep that in mind, if you’re, for example, alarmed by a fairly awesome movie having to end up in last place and stuff.
3’Babel' (2006)
One of the best movies of 2006,Babelis also up there among the most miserable movies of 2006… or even of all time. It isn’t exactly intended to be a fun time, so the bleakness here is very much intentional. It feels in line with the aforementioned Amores perros, givenBabelalso has a story that focuses on various people dealing with traumatic things in their own ways, all of whom are linked in sometimes surprising ways. It begins with a focus on traumatic events that unfold for a couple who are vacationing, butBabelhas ambitions beyond those two characters. It can feel messy at times, but it ultimatelyemerges as something quite powerful in the end, at least as far as character-focused dramas go.
It was the first movie directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu to win an Oscar, nabbing the prize for Best Original Score, which went to Gustavo Santaolalla. Two people earned Best Supporting Actress nominations (Adriana BarrazaandRinko Kikuchi), with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.2006 was a strong year for cinema, which might explain the fact that these were all nominations rather than wins, but that shouldn’t suggest thatBabelisn’t worth checking out. It’s best watched if you’re sufficiently prepared for something heavy, but if you are in that frame of mind, and are okay with something being very much uncompromising, then this is certainly worthwhile. The acting’s great, the structure’s ambitious, and Iñárritu’s direction throughout the whole thing is as careful and compelling as always.
Tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert, which jumpstarts an interlocking story involving four different families.
2’The Revenant' (2015)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson
CallingThe Revenantan intense moviewould be underselling it rather severely. Like, it takes place during a grueling time in history and takes on a couple of things narratively that ensure it’s a relentless watch. For one, the main character here is forced to survive in brutally cold conditions following a horrific bear attack that comes incredibly close to killing him. But to make matters worse, he’s also abandoned by the other people in his hunting party, which is already a pretty solid reason for revenge, but then that desire for revenge is only escalated all the more when his son is killed by the same people who don’t have much of an interest in saving him. In essence, he stays alive just so he can kill those who’ve wronged him, and there’s the movie.
It’s avery violent look at cycles of revengeand the potential emptiness of eventually achieving some sort of vengeance when it finally comes your way.The Revenantis, therefore, also not exactly a good time, but it does impress as an unlikely Western of sorts. It notablywonLeonardo DiCapriohis first Oscar, which felt like a long time coming, back in 2015, and had some further success as far as wins and nominations were concerned.Emmanuel Lubezkideservedly won an Oscar for Best Cinematography for his undeniably great work here, and the other major win was for Alejandro González Iñárritu, who scored a Best Director Oscar.The Revenantdidn’t win Best Picture for the year it came out, given the top award ultimately went to Spotlight that year, but… like… come on, people rememberThe Revenantmore nowadays. It’s not a flawless film, but it probably would’ve been a better Best Picture winner.Maybe the Academy Awards felt apprehensive about awarding two Iñárritu-directed movies Best Picture in a row, considering the previous year…
The Revenant
1’Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' (2014)
Starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis
Yep, so one year beforeThe Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu directed his most successful Academy Awards movie to date:the Best Picture-winning comedy/dramathat wasBirdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Perhaps a movie that was all about the film industry and acting was too difficult to overlook, but even if that was the case,Birdmanis also pretty awesome on a technical and acting front.Michael Keatonis front and center, and gives probably his best performance to date, butthe supporting cast inBirdmanis remarkable, too.Things take place right before the opening night for a big Broadway play, with things spiraling out of control in ways that are sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, andsometimes honestly kind of surreal.
Helping that surreal angle ofBirdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)is the way the entire film is helmed in such a way as tomake it look like one continuous shot, which goes a great way in amping up anxiety and unease throughout. You do feel like you’re backstage for so much of the film, observing the professional lives of various people continually threatening to fall apart, and though that is understandably stressful, it’s also oddly thrilling.Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won Best Picture during a pretty damn good year for cinema, and other Oscar wins that went to it include Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki, once more), Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu), and Best Original Screenplay, for which Iñárritu was one of the co-writers.Birdmanwas easily the most successful movie at the Academy Awards that year, and it’s not the hardest thing in the world to see why. It might not be a flawless film, but it’s ambitious, timely, uniquely shot, and expertly acted, so the good qualities here do ultimately make it hard to dislike. If you want to talk about the best Alejandro González Iñárritu films, thenBirdmanis hard not to pay some kind of tribute to.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
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