Babel
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Movie Reviews of Babel
Movie Review: Cultures clash. There are misunderstandings. Just like real life.
Summary: 5 Stars
Babel's impact resonates long after the film is over. Scenes flash through my mind. I'm disturbed and unsettled. And I'm convinced that this film is a very special kind of art form.
It's an ambitious undertaking. There are four parallel stories and several languages including the sign language of a deaf mute young woman. Cultures clash. Misunderstandings happen. It's just like the real world - only more up close and "in your face". And, like the real world, the conclusion is not tidy and only leads to more questions.
Bravo to the director Alejandro González Iñárritu for his skill in making these seemingly separate pieces all come together as one unified whole. And bravo to the to actors who were nominated for Academy Awards for their supporting roles -- Adriana Barraza, cast as a Mexican caretaker of two American children and Rinko Kikuchi, cast as a young deaf mute Japanese schoolgirl. Yes, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchard did bring the star power to this film, and they were indeed excellent as the American tourist couple who are stranded in a small Moroccan village after a stray bullet hits their tour bus and the wife is seriously wounded.
No, it wasn't terrorists, although the media immediately picks up on the story. The bullet came from the gun of a young Moroccan goatherd who was trying to see how far his gun could shoot. We get to see the confusion created by this incident and the over-reactions of the Moroccan police. There are other police actions that made me shudder as well, as mistakes add up and a car driven by the Mexican woman's nephew is detained by the U.S. Boarder Patrol.
Another police incident concerns a young Japanese police officer who the deaf mute young woman tries to seduce. All this seems complex, but that is the point of the film. Life is complex and disturbing and an action by one person can impact many others on the other side of the world.
I highly recommend this film, but it's certainly not light entertainment. Just be forewarned. This film is designed to be emotionally disturbing.
Movie Review: A powerful film with riveting performances by all of its actors!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got to watch the DVD of Babel early this afternoon before the Academy Awards came on. Though reminding quite a bit of the movie, Crash, this film proved to be a powerful drama with compelling performances by all of its actors. I was struck in how a simple act of kindness by a Japanese businessman on a hunting trip in Morocco when he gives his guide a rifle as a gift can have such an astounding affect on four different families around the world. This is the basis for the movie. When the guide later sells the rifle to a nearby Moroccan family, the father of the family gives the rifle to his two small sons so that they can shoot the jackals that are eating their goats. The boys are not very old--maybe eight and ten. Trying to see just how far the rifle will shoot, the boys end up hitting a tourist bus and Cate Blanchett's character is shot in the shoulder. This event has the ripple affect as her husband, who's played by Brad Pitt, attempts to get medical help for his injured wife in the middle of nowhere. Their Mexican nanny will be affected as she makes the decision not to miss her son's wedding in Mexico and to take the two children in her charge with her. This will have dire consequences for all involved. There's also the Japanese businessman and his deaf daughter, who's still recovering from the suicide of her mother. The journey that Babel takes is filled with hardship, stupidity, anger, and compassion. There are no easy answers to the things that happen. Even at the end, you still feel kind of empty due to the tragedies that have already taken place. I have to say that Adriana Barraza as the Mexican nanny and Rinko Kikuchi as the Japanese daughter steal the film with their non-flinching, emotional performances. The director of the movie, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, manages to capture the true humanity in each of the characters and how we're all interconnected in today's world. Babel is certainly a film worth seeing and worth owning for your DVD library. There are no extras with this DVD, so a collector's edition may be coming out this summer. Highly recommended!!!Movie Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
With direction similar to Crash, this movie focused on the plight of three different sets of kids. Two young kids are staying with their Mexican housekeeper while their parents are traveling in Morocco. Their mother gets shot which prevents the parents from returning. The housekeeper meanwhile needs to attend her son's wedding across the boarder in Mexico. With nobody else to care for the kids and not wanting to miss the wedding, she takes the kids with her and her "shady" nephew to Mexico for the wedding. Of course something will go wrong in their trip, brought about by the nephew.
The second set of kids are two young boys in Morocco who play with a high powered rifle and accidentally shoot the first kids' mother and then try to cover up what they did before they are caught. The shot mother is tottering between life and death because she was shot very far from the nearest hospital and her shooting is thought to be terrorist related, causing a whole international incident that prevents the US embassy from sending help to her.
The third kid is a deaf/mute teenager in Tokyo whose father was the owner of the rifle used in the Morocco shooting. She is very troubled, apparently related to the recent death of her mother (the police had questioned her about her father's possible involvement in the death) and hangs out with a bad crowd who are into drugs. Also, she appears very promiscuous because she exposes herself to two of the boys and later to a police detective.
The director jumps back and forth from story to story, always at key parts that leave you eager to find out what was going to happen next. It is a very successful formula here and one can understand all the positive critical reviews that this movie has received. I felt it actually better than Crash which was last year's best picture. This year seemed to have so many good movies (The Queen, The Departed) that this movie was up against too much competition to win more awards. It is excellent nonetheless and should not be missed!
Movie Review: Thought provoking journey
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is incredible. The story had me riveted from the beginning. A cosmic version of the movie Crash on a grander scale. This journey takes us to many different parts of the world. The cinematography is wonderful and the grittiness is so very real. In this movie you are not getting a santized view of the world we live in. This movie is so much bigger than just Brad Pitt.
In Babel we are quickly thrust into a series of terrible events that seems to have no end. Just when you are hoping for something to turn better it doesn't. From the beginning portrayl of two Morrocan brothers who are entrusted to take care of the families livelihood it becomes apparent how much children are the same. The wonderful acting almost had me feeling the warm air of the desert as I began to feel if I was there. I quickly felt a lump in my stomach as the inevitable happens and the horrendous journey begins. I will save the story for you the viewer but please be ready from an emotional joyride.
What I think captivated me most was that Babel wasn't watered down. It was real, incredibely real. From the Middle East, to Japan, and then to Mexico the stories seemed almost to real. Combined with the acting I was quickly thrown over the edge. It's almost hard to imagine the magnitude of such a film bringing so many cultures together. Yet it did and it did very well. Everyone played a part that you could imagine would be real.
Overall this movie is a must see. Don't get ready for some happy celebration that will make you feel good. This movie is distrubing...and if your not paying attention you will miss something. Your not going to find much lighthearted fun. Even when there is a joyful scene a serious touch of reality comes. When you see children playing a game where they attempt to catch a chicken that goes from excitment to grief on the child's face when they see the real fate of the chicken they just caught. Generally this movie is worth many awards and hopefully it gets it's place in cinematic history.
Movie Review: Should have won the Oscar for Best Picture
Summary: 5 Stars
In Babel, there are several stories taking place in different countries at the same time. They are all connected by the gift of a hunting rifle from a Japanese businessman to a Moroccan peasant.
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are a married couple on a trip through Morocco. There is a disconnect between them because one of their children died recently. Their other children are home in the U.S. being cared for by the family's Mexican housekeeper. In Japan, the businessman's teenage daughter, who is deaf, is having trouble dealing with her physical condition, her father and her mother's suicide. In Morocco, the gun is sold to another family. The two young sons have it with them as they shepherd on the hillside. Practicing with the gun they accidentally shoot through a tour bus, injuring Cate Blanchet. Brad Pitt has to fight the language barrier as well as the other impatient tourists on the bus, to get his wife to a hospital for treatment.
Back in the U.S., their Mexican housekeeper needs to get to Mexico for her son's wedding. She has no choice but to take the children with her. On the way back that night, there is trouble at the border. Her nephew driving her, crashes the border crossing and she ends up in the desert with her charges. In Japan, a young attractive policeman comes to talk to the Japanese businessman about the gun he gave away as it has now been used in an international incident. The teenage daughter tries to seduce him, one of the many awkward ways she tries to deal with her internal pain.
Babel is an amazing movie. I saw it months ago and still think about it. It has two qualities that would normally shy me away from it; It is very long and slow paced. However, in this case, the movie is so well made and the characters so compelling I was riveted. The acting is tremendous from everyone involved. It is a beautiful movie to look at and incredibly well written, edited and directed. This should have won the Best Picture Oscar.