Filmography of Javier Bardem. Top 10 best films

Javier Bardem is one of the most famous contemporary Spanish actors. The main reason for such popularity was his ability to transform into completely diverse roles. In almost every film, he impresses his fans with a complete transformation into a new character that bears little resemblance to the previous ones. As a result, Javier Bardem’s filmography includes dozens of films, and he personally collected many awards from various film festivals. We have collected the TOP 10 films in which, in our opinion, Bardem revealed his characters as deeply as possible.

10 Raul in “Ham, ham” | 1992

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 plays the role of Raul in the film, a hot macho who is trying to seduce an ordinary girl working at a factory (Penelope Cruz). Raul is a lingerie model and competes in the Spanish rodeo, but his career is constantly hampered by his turbulent love affairs.

Despite the fact that the role of Raul was a minor one, this was the actor’s first famous work, and Javier Barden was very afraid that the role of a sex symbol would run like a red thread through his entire filmography. Fortunately, his fears were not justified.

9. David in Living Flesh | 1997

The next outstanding work in the filmography of Javer Bardem was the role of an erotic drama filmed by Pedro Almodovar. As in “Ham, Ham” the picture is devoted to erotic attraction between people, but it has a deep philosophical overtones and vivid allusions that draw an association between the human body and a piece of fresh meat.

David is a wheelchair-bound cop following a street shootout. He has a caring wife (Francesca Neri) who has a secret affair with the man who shot her husband. Both feel trapped in marriage, and the minor chord of the tape is a bed scene, revealing the helplessness of David and the endless tenderness of his wife.

Javier carefully prepared for this role, as it allowed him to part with his reputation as a movie macho and prove to the public that he could be a serious dramatic actor.

8. Juan Antonio in Vicky Cristina Barcelona | 2008

The tape tells about the journey of two American tourists to Barcelona, ​​where they meet hot Spanish lover Juan Antonio, who feels attracted to both of them.

The situation is complicated by the fact that he still has complex love feelings for his 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 another macho in the filmography of Javier Bardem is an immature person who is in dire need of protection and support.

7. Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls | year 2000

This tape revealed Bardin’s talent to 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 Reinaldo Arenas, a Cuban writer who was a homosexual. For his sexual preferences, this man was persecuted by the Castro regime and even served a two-year prison term. Javier Bardem managed to replenish his filmography with a masterful performance of the role of a young talented man, at the same time experiencing attraction, a sensitive perception of the world, despair and acute exaltation.

6. Benito Gonzalez in Golden Eggs | 1993

This tape belongs to the period of Javier Bardem’s filmography, when he was a recognized Spanish sex symbol.

Benito Gonzalez is an ambitious engineer obsessed with the idea of ​​building a giant skyscraper, which is clearly associated with a phallic symbol. His irrepressible sexual desires often make him do strange things, and the viewer already in the middle of the picture begins to understand that such behavior should lead to disaster.

A feature of this role of Bardem is the fact that sexuality, which was devoted to many of his works in the “Golden Eggs”, develops into a pathology that breaks the character’s life.

5. Santa in “Sunny Mondays” | 2002

Directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, the dramatic comedy follows the adventures of a group of friends who are collectively fired from a shipyard. The film touches the strings of the soul of many viewers, since almost everyone has faced a similar situation.

Bardem plays the role of informal leader of this small company, who tells everyone about his dreams to leave the country and start a new life. But his friends do not even suspect that Santa has long resigned himself 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 a capitalist society.

4. Uksbal in “Beautyful” | 2010

Another leading role in the filmography of Javier Bardem, which tells the story of 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 of an art house, it was well received by the mass audience, primarily due to the masterful acting of Javier, who was able to fully convey the feelings of his character.

3. Silva in 007: Skyfall Coordinates | year 2012

The director of the next film about James Bond chose Bardem as the main villain for the reason that this outstanding Spaniard is able to completely give himself up to the role and not to play, but to become his own character during the filming.

The image of a former MI6 agent with strange tendencies and obsessed with all-consuming revenge was complemented by a remark from Javier, who offered a number of worthwhile ideas for his appearance.

Javier Bardem added another unexpected role to his filmography and proved to himself and to 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 Within” | 2004

The Sea Within is the second autobiographical film in Javier Barden’s filmography, telling the story of a 30-year struggle with his own body paralyzed Ramon Sampedro. The plight of this man is unique in that he fought for a long time in court for the legalization of euthanasia and in the end was able to make his dream come true.

Bardem, who almost throughout the entire tape expresses the emotions of his character only with the help of speech and facial expressions, was able to phenomenally convey the experiences and inner world of Ramon, which makes it possible for the viewer to fully understand the depth of his despair.

Unfortunately, Barden’s amazing performance was not even nominated for an Oscar, but it earned him another Spanish Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

1. Anton Chigur in No Country for Old Men | 2007

The Coen brothers have their own unique style, which made it possible for Barden to once again live the life of an absolutely unique character.

Anton Chigurh, who professes an existential certainty that life is a series of accidents and absolutely meaningless, is the embodiment of 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 Chigurh a gem of Javier Barden’s filmography. Many critics recognized this role as the best in Javier’s career. The only negative is the small amount of screen time devoted to this embodiment of evil, which makes many fans of Barden’s work review the tape again and again.