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Babel (2006)
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Movie Review by Matthew 
November 3rd, 2006
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I suspect most people will either love or hate "Babel", the new film from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the director of "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams".
This film sort of slipped under my radar. I have seen the trailer a few times, but that is about it. No advanced press or information about it, something I found strange considering the film stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal. After watching the film, this makes sense. The film is being positioned to be one of those "conversation starter" films, films that create buzz and then earn some Oscar nominations. The smaller it looks, the better its chances.
"Babel" is a very good film. It has some flaws, but I am willing to overlook most of those due to the power of the story and the acting.
A Moroccan goat herder buys a gun from a neighbor; he wants to keep the Jackals away from his goats, to preserve his cash flow. He gives the gun to his two sons, who take the goat herd out every day. The two boys, alone and bored, decide to test the statement of the neighbor who sold their father the gun; can the bullets reach 3 km. One of the boys is adept at using the weapon, the other is not. Finally, a tour bus makes its way down a barren road below them. Taking aim, they fire. After a few moments, the bus stops and the boys run away. An affluent California couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) are traveling through Morocco on the tour bus. It is clear they have some problems in their marriage and perhaps the trip is a method of patching up the relationship. Dozing off to sleep, the wife suddenly gasps in pain; she has been shot. The husband asks the Moroccan guide where they can go. He says that his village is nearby and there is a doctor there. The other tourists are frightened, but the woman is losing too much blood. Back home, the couple's nanny is waiting for their sister to arrive and watch the couple's two young children. The husband calls; his sister can't make it. The nanny is expected at her son's wedding the next day in Mexico. Her boss says "Cancel the wedding, I'll pay for a better wedding when I get back". She decides to take the children with her. Her nephew (Gael Garcia Bernal) shows up to drive and they are off on an adventure. In Tokyo, a confused teenager (Rinko Kinkuchi), who is also a deaf mute, is having difficultly hiding her anger; her mother died a few months earlier and the relationship between she and her father is strained. She is also very anxious to have sex and many of the boys treat her as a freak when they find out she is a deaf mute. So she teases them and other men, in an effort for some release.
Now, you might say to yourself after reading this synopsis, as I did while watching this film, "What connection does a deaf mute Japanese teenage girl have to the rest of the story?" And the answer is "A very tenuous one." For a film like this to work, a film containing elaborate, multifaceted stories, everything has to be connected and work well together, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Everything else fits into place nicely and works together, which makes the Japanese story stand out all the more. The connection is just too small.
That said, the story is interesting, unusual and worth watching.
Over the years, there have been many film and television projects following the course of one item through the hands of multiple owners. And there have been other projects exploring the consequences of one action through different stories. "Babel" is a little of both.
The gun passed down from one farmer to the other causes the beginning of the film, but the other elements are connected to this American couple and the gun, allowing the story to branch off from two different places. This is ultimately what makes the film as a whole better than the mistakes of individual parts. Because Inarritu is taking us in many directions, he has to create a compelling and interesting story. He has done that. In spades.
As the American couple wait in the small Moroccan village for an ambulance, the rest of the tourists become antsy. It's hot and the driver won't turn on the air conditioning because that will waste gas and he can't stop at a corner gas station for a refill. The tourists are also frightened because they are in a small village where they believe anything can happen. A local brings them a plate of flatbread, because they must be hungry, yet they avoid her. She could be a terrorist trying to poison them. The Mexican nanny is clearly devoted to the children in her care, but her family obligations require her trip to Mexico. She decides to take them along and because they have grown up with her, they are completely at ease. Once they arrive at the wedding, these shy children have a great time, meeting new people, learning new things. The Moroccan
It won't fit. Please read the full review at thornhillatthemovies.com
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 | Jenny
Nov 6, 2006 8:59 AM
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| Blast! What a great review. Off I go to thornhillatthemovies.com.... |
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