Javier Bardem is one of the most famous contemporary Spanish actors. The main reason for this popularity was his ability to transform into completely diverse roles. In almost every film, he amazes his fans with a complete transformation into a new character that is not much like the previous ones. As a result, the filmography of Javier Bardem has dozens of paintings, and he personally has collected many awards from various film festivals. We have collected the TOP 10 paintings in which, in our opinion, Bardem has revealed his characters as deeply as possible.
10. Raul in “Ham, Ham” | 1992 year
This black comedy was the beginning of the stellar career of Javier and his future wife Penelope Cruz. This tape is a kind of study of male chauvinism and eroticism, but at the same time it is not devoid of sensual romantic experiences.
Bardem in the film plays the role of Raul - a hot macho who is trying to seduce an ordinary girl working in a factory (Penelope Cruz). Raul is a model of lingerie and participates in the Spanish rodeo, but his turbulent love affairs constantly interfere with his career.
Despite the fact that the role of Raoul was secondary, this was the first famous work of the actor, and Javier Barden was very afraid that the role of the sex symbol would be a red thread through his entire filmography. Fortunately, his fears did not materialize.
9. David in the Living Flesh | 1997 year
The next outstanding work in the filmography of Javier Bardem was the role of an erotic drama directed by Pedro Almadovar. Like in “Ham, ham” the picture is dedicated to the erotic attraction between people, but it has a deep philosophical implication and vivid allusions that make the association between the human body and a piece of fresh meat.
David is a police officer chained to a wheelchair as a result of a street shootout. He has a caring wife (Francesca Neri), who has a secret affair with the man who shot her husband. Both feel married in a trap, and the minor chord of the tape is the bed scene, revealing the helplessness of David and the infinite tenderness of his wife.
Javier carefully prepared for this role, as it allowed him to give up his reputation as a movie macho and prove to the public that he could be a serious dramatic actor.
8. Juan Antonio in "Wiki, Cristina, Barcelona" | 2008 year
The film tells about the journey of two American tourists to Barcelona, where they meet with the hot Spanish lover Juan Antonio, who feels attracted to both of them.
The situation is complicated by the fact that it still experiences complex love feelings for its ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). All members of this romantic quartet experience various fears, passions and hopes that are associated with one single question: "What is love?"
During the development of the plot of the film, the viewer understands that the next macho in the filmography of Javier Bardem is an immature person who urgently needs protection and support.
7. Reynaldo Arenas in “Until Night Comes” | year 2000
This tape revealed Barden's talent for the whole world and allowed him to become the first Spanish actor to be nominated for an Oscar.
The plot is based on the biography of Reynaldo Arenas, a Cuban writer who was homosexual. For his sexual preferences, this man was persecuted by the Castro regime and even served a two-year prison term. Javier Bardem was able to replenish his filmography with a masterful performance of the role of a young talented man who at the same time is attracted, has a sensitive perception of the world, despair and acute exaltation.
6. Benito Gonzalez in the Golden Eggs | 1993 year
This tape refers to the period of Javier Bardem filmography, when he was a recognized Spanish sex symbol.
Benito Gonzalez is an ambitious engineer obsessed with the idea of building a giant skyscraper that is clearly associated with the phallic symbol. His irrepressible sexual desires often force him to do strange things and the viewer already in the middle of the picture begins to realize that such behavior should lead to disaster.
A feature of this role of Bardem is the fact that the sexuality, which was devoted to many of his work in Golden Eggs, develops into a pathology that breaks the character's life.
5. Santa on Sunny Mondays | 2002 year
The dramatic comedy directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa tells about the adventures of a group of friends who are all fired together with a shipyard. The film touches the strings of the soul of many viewers, since almost everyone faced a similar situation.
Bardem plays the role of the informal leader of this small company, who tells everyone about his dreams of leaving the country and starting a new life. But his friends do not even suspect that Santa has long been resigned to his own fate. This role in the filmography of Javier Bardem is the most socially acute, as it makes viewers think about their place in capitalist society.
4. Uksbal at Beautyful | 2010 year
Another major role in the filmography of Javier Bardem, which tells about a depressed migrant with cancer. The main problem of the picture is the main character’s attempts to find guardians for his children, who will soon lose their father.
The picture is full of darkness, but still the character of Bardem finds in his life a place for love and beauty, which are forced to coexist with horror and despair.
Despite the fact that the picture is more likely an arthouse, it was well received by the mass audience, primarily due to the masterful play of Javier, who was able to fully convey the experiences of his character.
3. Silva in “007: the coordinates of Skyfall” | year 2012
The director of the next James Bond tape chose Bardem for the role of the main villain for the reason that this outstanding Spaniard is able to fully give himself the role and not play, but become his own character for the duration of the shoot.
The image of the former MI6 agent, having strange inclinations and obsessed with all-consuming revenge, was complemented by a remark by Javier, who proposed a number of worthwhile ideas for his appearance.
Javier Bardem replenished his filmography with another unexpected role and proved to himself and the whole world that he is one of the most diverse actors of our time, who can play equally well not only in romantic comedies and serious dramas, but also in box office blockbusters.
2. Ramon Sampedro in The Sea Inside | 2004 year
“The Sea Inside” is the second autobiographical picture in the filmography of Javier Barden, telling the story of a 30-year struggle with the paralyzed Ramon Sampedro’s own body. The difficult fate of this man is unique in the circumstances because he fought for a long time in court for the legalization of euthanasia and in the end was able to realize his dream.
Bardem, who expresses the emotions of his character almost throughout the entire tape only with the help of speech and facial expressions, was able to phenomenally convey the emotions and inner world of Ramon, which allows the viewer to fully understand the depth of his despair.
Unfortunately, Barden’s amazing acting was not even nominated for an Oscar, but it earned him another Spanish Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
1. Anton Chigur in “Old Men Have No Place” | 2007 year
The Coen brothers have their own unique style, which enabled Barden to once again live the life of an absolutely unique character.
Anton Chigur, who professes an existential belief that life is a series of accidents and is completely meaningless, is the embodiment of an obsession with one's own goal.
The character of the Spanish master of acting is recognized as one of the most terrible villains of modern cinema, which makes Anton Chigura the pearl of the filmography of Javier Barden. Many critics have recognized this role as the best in Javier’s career. The only drawback is the small amount of screen time allotted to this embodiment of evil, which makes many fans of Barden's work revise the tape again and again.