Birdman Director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Bardo Gets A New Trailer, And 22 Minutes Shaved Off Its Runtime

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming film Bardo just received a new trailer, and a confirmation that it’s shaving 22 minutes of its run time.

Netflix shared the trailer for the Birdman director’s next film, the full title being Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, which is set to release in select theaters November 4, and joining the subscription service December 16. As reported by IndieWire, the film has also had a pretty big change too–it’s now 22 minutes shorter, bringing it to two hours and 32 minutes in length, without credits.

According to IndieWire, Iñárritu made the decision to shorten the film following screenings of it at the Venice Film Festival and Telluride. “The first time I saw my film was with 2,000 people in Venice,” the director told IndieWire. “That was a nice opportunity to see it and learn about things that could benefit from being tied up a bit, add one scene that never arrived on time, and move the order of one or two things. Little by little, I tightened it, and I am very excited about it.”

Bardo follows a fictitious Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns to his home country after receiving a prestigious international award. The newest trailer likely won’t tell you any of that, though does seem to promise a film that has plenty to offer on the visuals front.

In general reviews of the film have been mixed, with some criticisms being to do with the length. Iñárritu also told IndieWire that he hasn’t read any reviews for the film yet, saying “I want to reaffirm that I have not read one single review for my healthy mental state. There is nobody better than me who knows all the dots that connect and how they could connect better.”

Apparently, Iñarritu noted, the first cut of Bardo ran over four hours, but did also insist that the length of the film wasn’t his biggest concern, pointing out that he’s seen 80 minute long films that are too long, and three-and-a-half hour long films that don’t feel too long.