Babel (A or 4/4 stars)
Genesis Chapter 11 of the Bible: The Tower of Babel was a tower built by a united humanity to reach the heavens. Because the hearts of men were said to be inherently evil and disobedient, they were striving to make a name for themselves instead of worshipping the God who created them. Because of this open defiance, God stopped their efforts by confusing languages so that the builders could not understand one another.
The passage above explains the title of this film. It would have been nice if it were included either before or after the film begins; but I digress. 'Babel' (written by Guillermo Arriaga & directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) tells the story of four individual families & what they all have in common. Themes of tragedy, miscommunication, & eventual understanding, makes this a lengthy (but swift moving), powerful & effective film.
In Morocco, 2 boys play with a rifle & accidentally shoot an American, Susan Jones (Cate Blanchett), on a tour bus in the distance. Her husband, Richard (Brad Pitt), is frenzied as he searches for medical treatment in the desert. Their children, willingly, have been taken across the Mexican border so that their nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barazza), can see her son get married; but they run into a deadly situation on their return to San Diego. And in Tokyo, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi), the deaf daughter of the rifle's original owner, deals with her mother's suicide & a handicap which prevents the sexual intercourse that she desires.
'Babel' shows us how important 'language' is in everyday life; and how the miscommunication of language and/or culture can lead to disastrous events. The 2 Moroccan boys did not mean to shoot an innocent bystander, but their action leads to global-wide terrorist concern. Mr. & Mrs. Jones need help, & while some Moroccan civilians do their very best to help Susan, Richard STILL gets anxious and angry with them because of the language barrier. Speaking of language barriers, even Richard's children understand their Spanish nanny more than he & his wife understand each other.
Amelia, driven to Mexico by her nephew, Santiago (Gael Garcia Bernal), doesn't see the harm in taking the Jones children to a fun wedding. But some racist border patrol cops ignore what she & Santiago are 'trying' to say; they take the liberty of assuming that she is kidnapping the children. And poor Chieko has to deal with personal demons surrounding the death of her mother, her isolation from her father, & the social strain of not being able to communicate normally with the rest of her populous peers. Sure, she's rebellious; but how else does one cope with depression when you can't hear or be heard properly?
Pitt shows his vulnerability when he speaks to his son on a hospital telephone. Blanchett is captivating in all her scenes; even the ones where she's writhing in pain on a dirt floor. Gael Garcia Bernal captures a completely realistic portrayal of a young man who is up for some fun, but desperate to avoid the consequences of going too far with it. Two of the strongest performances are from Adriana Barazza & Rinko Kikuchi. Barazza is so normal & believable in her role as the loving nanny who loses control, that you forget you are watching her act. And Kikuchi's portrayal of this rebellious, sexually pent-up teen is completely vulnerable, sympathetic, & gripping. She does some awful things, yet we resolve ourselves and are completely able to understand where it is all coming from.
The screenplay is fascinating. The haunting, multi-cultural musical score is effective in moments of tension & tenderness. Inarritu pays close attention to detail within all of these cultures (Moroccan, American, Mexican, Japanese). These are individual stories that happen to have one linking component. The 'large' picture is that isolation, lack of understanding, & an incapability to listen is a detriment in society. What I love about 'Babel' is that in spite of the misfortune & tragedies that befall the characters (all due to consequences surrounding a rifle & miscommunication), the 4 stories resolve with a certain air of hope. If you want see a Brad Pitt flick with charm, humor and action - don't see 'Babel'. If you're looking for an intelligent, morally-charged piece of drama, you shouldn't be disappointed.
The passage above explains the title of this film. It would have been nice if it were included either before or after the film begins; but I digress. 'Babel' (written by Guillermo Arriaga & directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) tells the story of four individual families & what they all have in common. Themes of tragedy, miscommunication, & eventual understanding, makes this a lengthy (but swift moving), powerful & effective film.
In Morocco, 2 boys play with a rifle & accidentally shoot an American, Susan Jones (Cate Blanchett), on a tour bus in the distance. Her husband, Richard (Brad Pitt), is frenzied as he searches for medical treatment in the desert. Their children, willingly, have been taken across the Mexican border so that their nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barazza), can see her son get married; but they run into a deadly situation on their return to San Diego. And in Tokyo, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi), the deaf daughter of the rifle's original owner, deals with her mother's suicide & a handicap which prevents the sexual intercourse that she desires.
'Babel' shows us how important 'language' is in everyday life; and how the miscommunication of language and/or culture can lead to disastrous events. The 2 Moroccan boys did not mean to shoot an innocent bystander, but their action leads to global-wide terrorist concern. Mr. & Mrs. Jones need help, & while some Moroccan civilians do their very best to help Susan, Richard STILL gets anxious and angry with them because of the language barrier. Speaking of language barriers, even Richard's children understand their Spanish nanny more than he & his wife understand each other.
Amelia, driven to Mexico by her nephew, Santiago (Gael Garcia Bernal), doesn't see the harm in taking the Jones children to a fun wedding. But some racist border patrol cops ignore what she & Santiago are 'trying' to say; they take the liberty of assuming that she is kidnapping the children. And poor Chieko has to deal with personal demons surrounding the death of her mother, her isolation from her father, & the social strain of not being able to communicate normally with the rest of her populous peers. Sure, she's rebellious; but how else does one cope with depression when you can't hear or be heard properly?
Pitt shows his vulnerability when he speaks to his son on a hospital telephone. Blanchett is captivating in all her scenes; even the ones where she's writhing in pain on a dirt floor. Gael Garcia Bernal captures a completely realistic portrayal of a young man who is up for some fun, but desperate to avoid the consequences of going too far with it. Two of the strongest performances are from Adriana Barazza & Rinko Kikuchi. Barazza is so normal & believable in her role as the loving nanny who loses control, that you forget you are watching her act. And Kikuchi's portrayal of this rebellious, sexually pent-up teen is completely vulnerable, sympathetic, & gripping. She does some awful things, yet we resolve ourselves and are completely able to understand where it is all coming from.
The screenplay is fascinating. The haunting, multi-cultural musical score is effective in moments of tension & tenderness. Inarritu pays close attention to detail within all of these cultures (Moroccan, American, Mexican, Japanese). These are individual stories that happen to have one linking component. The 'large' picture is that isolation, lack of understanding, & an incapability to listen is a detriment in society. What I love about 'Babel' is that in spite of the misfortune & tragedies that befall the characters (all due to consequences surrounding a rifle & miscommunication), the 4 stories resolve with a certain air of hope. If you want see a Brad Pitt flick with charm, humor and action - don't see 'Babel'. If you're looking for an intelligent, morally-charged piece of drama, you shouldn't be disappointed.