Babel
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Movie Reviews of Babel
Movie Review: One of the Best Films of the Year
Summary: 5 Stars
"Babel" was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture and had previously won the Best Picture Golden Globe. I'm usually pretty good at predicting the Best Picture winner at the Oscars, but this year was difficult. I thought it was a toss-up between The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, and Babel. Well, The Departed won 4 Oscars and Babel won one (Best Original Score)...Never the less, "Babel" is one of the best films of 2006. It's directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, the same writer/director team behind "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams." I thought "21 Grams" was the fourth best film of the year, the year it came out..."Babel" is just as good, if not better. It takes place in four countries (mostly in 3), it's in 4 languages, and is not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the most important. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play Richard and Susan, a rich couple touring Morocco. Their marriage is on the rocks and something tragic has recently happened to them. Things take a turn for the worst when two young boys, armed with a rifle, accidentally shoot her from a mountaintop. The shooting, which is believed to be the work of terrorists, is suddenly all over the news and Richard is fighting to keep Susan alive even though he can't get her to a hospital or get an ambulance to get her. In San Diego, California where their nanny Amelia (Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza) is watching their two children Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble), while trying to figure out a way to make it to her sons wedding in Mexico. When she can't find anyone to look after the children, she has her nephew Santiago (Gael Garcia Bernal) take her and the children to Mexico. Everything goes smoothly until they run into problems at the border on the way back. Millions of miles away in Japan is Chieko (Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuechi), a deaf and mute girl yearning for attention from both her father and other men. This movie presented a truly surprising year at the Academy Awards. Unknowns' Barraza and Kikuechi were nominated for Oscars, while leading man Pitt was shut out. Watching the film, it's easy to see why. Barraza is probably the actress that most deserved the Oscar this year (although I haven't seen "Dreamgirls" so my opinion is a bit unfounded). Kikuechi doesn't say a word in the film and yet delivers one of the best performances of the year. Brad Pitt delivers his best performance ever and I'm surprised after watching it he didn't get an Oscar nomination. Even though he wouldn't have beat Forest Whitaker or Peter O'Toole, I'm surprised his performance didn't even get noticed. "Babel" was an Oscar front-runner, but it actually got mixed reviews. It ended up on a lot of top ten lists, but a lot of critics (namely A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips) shut the film out. It is a film that won't appeal to the average American audience, because Americans don't like to read movies but this is a great film that I think some people would benefit from seeing. It has a lot to say about America and people, although I found a revelation at the end of the film to be a little confusing. The movie runs 135 minutes, but feels much shorter because it breezes through these stories and never overstays its welcome. The Oscar-winning score is terrific and, even, at times, haunting.
GRADE: A-
Movie Review: What we say
Summary: 5 Stars
Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga (who have sadly had a falling-out) may be one of the most formidable creative teams in the industry. Without resorting to cheap sentiments or preaching, Iñárritu crafts a quietly compelling follow-up to "21 Grams," with an introspective look at the interlaced lives after a tragedy.
Two boys in Morocco buy a rifle, and while testing it out, they strike a passing tourist bus. Unfortunately, the bullet strikes a vacationing American woman (Cate Blanchett), in the middle of a rural area with no real medical facilities. Unable to be transported, the woman and her husband (Brad Pitt) are dropped off in a rural village, to await help.
Unknowingly, the boys have triggered off shattering events in other people's lives across the world -- a troubled, deaf Japanese girl (Rinko Kikuchi) causes a commotion, and the police find that this neglected, lonely teen is the daughter of the man who originally had the boys' rifle. And the American couple's nanny (Adriana Barraza) is delayed going to her son's wedding, and attempts to bring the children into Mexico with her -- with disastrous results.
"Babel" is like a series of completely different photographs, but with the same person in the background. These haunting looks at how lives can be changed in an instant -- and the effects of violence, whether malicious or careless -- makes up the last volume of Iñárritu and Arriaga's "Death Trilogy." It illustrates death with the fragility of life.
But it's also about the difficulty of communicating in the modern world. You can talk to someone across the world, but sometimes never communicate -- cultures, languages, race, and disabilities can divide people, such as when the border police rush to rescue the American kids, but are callous to the kindly nanny merely because she is not a citizen.
And Iñárritu knows how to capture the right feel for the movie, even to giving it shaky, rough cinematography. There's a feeling of powerful emotion even in small scenes, such as Pitt starting to crumble as he makes a phone call. And the movie moves seamlessly from the rocky, dusty Morocco to the flashy, frenetic Tokyo to the relaxed San Diego.
Blanchett and Pitt are at the center of the movie (in that order), and both are excellent. Blanchett gives a stunning performance as the critically wounded wife, and Pitt acquits himself well as her anguished husband, as they rediscover their love under duress. Blanchett's performance should definitely garner her an Oscar next year -- and heads should roll if she isn't even nominated!
But the supporting cast is also excellent, particularly Kikuchi as the rebellious teenager, who feels isolated from the world around her, and is still grieving from her mother's tragic death. So she acts out sexually. And Barraza gives a solid performance as the nanny, in a nightmarish situation that is particularly haunting because it really happens.
It may comment on the lack of communication between cultures and people, but "Babel" is so compelling in its acting and visuals that it could easily have been a silent film. A brilliant, thought-provoking movie, and one that deserves to be seen.
Movie Review: Definitely Pitt's best - and a superb movie - and about the DVD version
Summary: 5 Stars
Hands down, this is Pitt's best work, not only because he veers away from his handsome image, actually looking aged and allowing his performance to ADD to the movie, rather than showcase his looks. As a result, he delivers a standout performance - and the rest of the cast is equally strong.
There are three main stories in this movie, all connected, however vaguely. One revolves around a deaf/mute teenager, another about a couple with marital problems (played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) traveling to a foreign country and the third dealing with the couple's babysitter. Be forwarned - the film does jump back and forth in time but this all makes sense and I think it is an effective approach. It takes awhile to figure out why the director would use this technique. I think it was used to clarify just how difficult it can be to see a situation in its whole and complex entirety, to see how pieces of individual lives interconnect with others, even if those others are half a world away.
What is the particular plot or "message" in this movie? That was harder to discern and, if you buy the regular DVD, you should know that Special Features will not help solve any questions about THE MESSAGE of the movie, will not hit you over the head the THE POINT that you are supposed to get (thank goodness). There are no actor or director interviews on it, no interpretations...and I actually LIKED that. This is the sort of movie that shakes one to the core and raises questions about alienation both within one's own culture and when traveling in other cultures, about how one tragic event can be linked to several countries, etc. It raises questions about our role in the world and how hard it can be to make the right decisions in the wake of violent and dangerous situations. I understood how and why certain things happened but I also wondered if certain decisions were ethical or moral....and how they could have been averted, if at all and how a single tragedy might have been prevented from setting off others.
For me, misunderstanding and alienation between people, both within and without their home cultures, and how quickly seemingly small actions can lead to tragedy were the themes that struck me most powerfully as I watched this movie. I felt for nearly every character in this film, even those who committed terrible acts, but so many of those were done with a certain naivete or innocence...most of the time. People acted without thinking fully, not seeing the possible ramifications of their decisions or how things could go so terribly awry.
One final suggestion: Please don't try to predict "what will happen next" in this film. I guarantee you'll be surprised at some point because the director doesn't follow stereotypes. If you're looking for a film that ties everything up neatly, with no loose ends, this isn't the film for you.
But if you're ready to tackle a film that will have you thinking about our place in the world, how people can resolve conflict and understand one another better and (perhaps) reach a point of greater understanding and develop new ways of relating and handling terrible situations, this is a great film for fueling THOSE thoughts.
Movie Review: Universal Understanding
Summary: 5 Stars
While much of "Babel" made me squirm uncomfortably, it had a powerful cumulative impact. Nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and winning Best Picture awards from the American Film Institute and the Golden Globes, it is a film with credentials. The last shot as the camera draws away from the top floor Tokyo skyscraper was breathtaking to me. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu won the Best Director award @ Cannes and was nominated for the Oscar. His film "Amores Perros," loosely translated as "Love's A B*tch," previously won the best foreign language award in Britain. In that picture he worked with Adriana Barraza who rose to prominence in "Babel" with her Best Supporting Actress nomination as Amelia, the Mexican housekeeper who takes the children she cares for to her son's wedding in Mexico. Brad Pitt has only been nominated for one Oscar (Best Supporting Actor for "12 Monkeys" in 1995), but he turns in a finely tuned performance as Richard, a father who grieves the death of a child and finds himself frantically trying to find medical care for his wife. The emotional territory he traverses in the film is impressive, particularly the phone conversation he has with his son as he tries to pretend that everything's okay while worried that his wife will die on the surgical table. His body slumps toward the phone like a man on the edge just trying to hang on. It's one of his best performances. Playing his wife Susan is Australian actress Cate Blanchett who won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2004 for "The Aviator" and was nominated again this year for "Notes on A Scandal." She does a good job as the wounded wife in a foreign land who through this crisis overcomes her grief for her lost child and rediscovers her love for her husband. Movies about husbands and wives who fall in love with each other always play well with me; and this aspect of this film was most charming, despite the gore. Rinko Kikuchi who played in the Japanese film "Ikitai," translated as "Will to Live," is stunning as the deaf mute adolescent whose grief for her mother's suicide leads her to act out improperly. I'm not sure of the name of the Japanese policeman who comes to her apartment to interview her, but it is an excellent, tender scene. As Chieko, Kikuchi was also nominated for the Oscar from this film. Gael Garcia Bernal as Santiago gives a good performance as he goes crazy while questioned by a border patrol. Michael Pena who played the locksmith in "Crash" gives a cameo performance as John Border Patrol who apprehends Amelia. The international scope of the picture is breathtaking as we travel from a Middle Eastern country to Southern California & Mexico to Japan. While my squirm factor was raised high with some of the blood & gore as well as the adolescent nudity, I came away appreciating this film as one that calls for greater understanding among people. That universal theme plays well in these troubled times. Enjoy!Movie Review: Maybe Not The Significant Document Of Our Time It Hopes To Be--But Riveting Drama Nonetheless
Summary: 5 Stars
"Babel" is the latest narratively and chronologically twisted epic from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. This is getting to be a specialty of his. He weaves different plots and characters together in unlikely ways hoping to surprise and enhance the dramatic affect of his storytelling. It brought him wide acclaim for his breakthrough "Amores Perros" a funny and thrilling ride for man and dog! The device was a bit more unnecessary in "21 Grams"--but that smaller film ended up being my choice for the best acted film of its year. But now he takes his skill and technical prowess to his biggest canvas yet.
"Babel" is set in Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the United States. We follow the interlocking stories of a Moroccan farming family, a couple of American tourists, a disaffected and deaf/mute Japanese schoolgirl, and a Mexican maid and her two American charges. One bullet brings all the stories together. As one of the tourists, Cate Blanchett, is accidentally shot--the repercussions are felt around the world.
This is an ambitious picture, and I do believe the narrative framing and structure enhance the overall experience. From a technical standpoint, there is not much more you could ask for--this is an awesome achievement. From editing, score, screenplay, cinematography and art direction--"Babel" is propelled to the short list of great studio films this year. The acting is uniformly excellent. Brad Pitt as Blanchett's husband and Rinku Kikuchi as the Japanese girl have been singled out repeatedly (and are likely Oscar contenders), but everyone here is in top form. This is heavy drama, and I can understand why that scares some people away--but the payoff is worth it. It is harrowing and unpleasant at times, but riveting and emotional throughout.
"Babel" is clearly a film made with serious intentions--and I'm not entirely sure it's as successful as it hopes to be. The philosophical implications, the biblical allegory, the effort to document the state of the world, the examination of a disaffected society, the randomness of the universal ties that bind, and the commentary at the lack of communication and understanding in the world--it's all here! There are certainly individual moments within "Babel" that will strike a chord, and it's definitely an intelligently made film, I just don't necessarily think that it is as "significant" as some make it out to be. I admire that it tries to deliver a social commentary without being "preachy"--but it moves perilously close at several times (times where 2 seconds of rational thought and explanation could have resolved something--but people were more villainous than understanding). Ultimately, though, I must embrace "Babel" as great adult filmmaking and powerful drama. About 4 1/2 stars from me--I'm rounding up for the sheer scope and ambition present. KGHarris, 12/06.