The Playlist offers an exclusive interview: Javier Bardem Talks The Sorrow, Joy of Being Biutiful.

“[Uxbal] has to go through a journey,” Bardem says. “He has to struggle and evolve in himself as a human being, and see the best and the worst of himself—and in him, we see ourselves. If you are not ready to see that, then well you’re not and that’s okay, but… [when I experience a film] I want to see something that explains the complexity of ourselves on screen.”

Speaking to critics of the film, the relates that, while Biutiful received much acclaim coming out of Cannes (including the best actor prize for Bardem), reviews have been mixed and some see the film as bleak. But as Bardem tells it, that’s a reductive viewpoint to a movie full of soul and humanity. “That is way too simple to say,” he said. “This movie is about much more than what they’re referring to, this movie is about human spirit at its best.”

Read the full interview here.