Babel (2006)

Very disappointed :(

A Brilliant Conflict

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

'Babel' is an authentic portrayal of the depletion of humanity and the terrible negligence of basic human values. The narrative of the movie moves along a spectrum of extreme emotional depth and execution of the the underlying morals in a deeply disturbing turn of events. The plot follows an accident faced by an American tourist which leads upto the unfolding of 3 different narratives which depicts 3 diffrent scenarios surrounding 3 different communities. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu masterfully manages to create the link between the 3 different scenarios by layering the thread of linking the narratives by giving the audiences to view the plot from 3 different scopes each which leads up to the scenarios depicted under each sub plot. The most amazing aspect of this is that the director has managed to layer the sub plots with abundant suspense all throughout the movie and rigorously emotional acting performances. Rinko Kikuchi who plays a young deaf Japanese girl creates maximum impact by coating the performance with enough emotional intensity and a marvelously convincing performance. Her pain of being treated differently is reflected through her glowing eyes in almost every scene she's in. Adriana Barraza's performance is no different and would make you reevaluate the core values a human should possess. The only negative aspect about the film that I witnessed are its confusing timelines surrounding the sub plots and the link between them leading up to the disturbing key event. The film would wreck you emotionally and disturb you to your heart's core which is exactly why you must see this film.

Of the four Inarritu movies I've seen (Birdman, The Revenant, and Amores Perros), I definitely consider this the best. The trailer stresses the inability for people of different cultures to communicate effectively as the theme, but it felt more like a constant obstacle. What I loved about the movie was the way it was able to go where the vast majority of movies don't dare to go and make me cringe a bit. Moments like Chieko asking the detective to come to her apartment and even little moments like the two American kids watching the Mexican guy killing the chicken are what made this such a striking and great movie. It's quite dark in tone, even more so because it's not dark or sad the entire time. The fun afternoon Chieko has makes her insecurity and pain even more tangible. And the joy of Amelia's son's wedding makes it that much worse when she can't get the two kids back to the states.This story is not entirely plausible in a time sense. Realistically, all of the events would not have occurred all within the same week. But the same can really be said of any movie in which the protagonist happens to be dealing with internal and external problems that are both resolved in the same climax. And outside of the convenient/inconvenient timing, the movie is incredibly realistic in the sense of how the characters behave in each situation. More than that, it points to the way that everyone is connected to people in countries far away from where we live whether we realize it or not.The characters were not the most memorable, but they were very human and I could totally sympathize with all of their different conflicts. A saying that is used a lot to guide writers is "the universal is in the specific", and that held true here. I'm not and hopefully never will be deaf or mute, but I understood how Chieko feels when she sees her friend that can speak a little get with the guy that Chieko likes. Even the two Moroccan kids who initiate the whole whirlwind of events can be sympathized with in their guilt. We are given a little insight into cach character's or group of character's backstory and personal lives. Not all of these are totally relevant to the story, but they do add to it by keeping the focus on the individuals and how their personal problems impact the other story lines rather than making a big deal out of the news story side of things. If you are considering it, be cautioned that it is a very disturbing movie that will shock you at several points and it probably won't leave you feeling hopeful. I think it's much better for being disturbing, but many people might not. On the upside, it's not gory or pornographic. The presence of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett do not detract at all from the other foreign actors. They aren't the protagonists and aren't given any more attention or screen time than the other character groups. Also, the characters are all portrayed by actors of the proper ethnicity; in other words it's not whitewashed. I'll close by paraphrasing one of that lines that was used in advertising the movie: If you don't see it, you'll end up living it. Overall Rating: 8.3/10.

a film. many stories. great actors. Babel has the gift to be more than a film. or giving a story. or proposing characters. it is a sort of manifesto. about the roots of every day reality. about the price of success, happiness, love, sacrifices, victories, sadness. and that did it a sort of poem. about its public more than about the evolution of characters. a film about mark of gestures. about decisions and believes and science to accept the truth. it is not easy to define it. because entire film is in the space of the frame of the last scenes. a film about ordinaries people. in a labyrinth. as parts of labyrinth. looking the second chance. or, more exactly, the essence of freedom against yourselves.

Babel is essentially one condescending scene after another. In theory it sounds ideal; there are many characters all intertwined by the same depressing event. But the film does nothing to justify any of this. In the world of Babel parents lack any common sense and give loaded weapons and ammunition to their children to go play without supervision. Lets suspend our disbelief that the children are stupid enough to shoot at a bus for target practice. So the police are immediately searching for the shooters and one cop picks up some pebbles on the ground so they know they are from the middle of nowhere. The cops don't hesitate to assault civilians while interrogating them. They also think its OK to kick someone hard enough to break the persons ribs to extract some information. But when they see our child shooters they tell them not to walk between the graves. Apparently they only care about the people they are sworn to serve and protect if they freaking die!! Then they roll up on some unarmed civilians and right away they start shooting at them without even knowing who they really are and kill a boy in the process. But its alright they can simply explain later that it was a big misunderstanding! Our beautiful American tourist is shot and its all over the international news despite the fact that they are in a remote village with no members of the press to be seen. And the anxious husband decides to pull in to a village because he thinks there is a good doctor only to find a veterinarian with dirty hands attempting to stick a rusty needle in his wife's bloody arm. He is not compelled to get back on the bus but instead enables the torment and then acts like a maniac when the passengers curse him and threaten to leave him! Need i say more? I think you get the idea!