Babel
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Paramount Vantage
(Out of 5)
If “Babel” is any indication of the slate of films
to come this Oscar season, the voting this winter is going to be
tough.
The word “babel” is defined by the American Heritage
Dictionary as “a scene of noise and confusion” and that
is exactly what the film follows; four families in turmoil, from
four completely different worlds, trying to break through the
cultural barriers holding them back.
The film splits time between Morocco, Tokyo and Mexico and
covers each family’s fallout from the shooting of an American
tourist, played by Cate Blanchett (“The Aviator” and
“The Lord of the Rings”), in the Moroccan desert.
Her husband, played by Brad Pitt, tries to save his wife as her
horrific story hits news outlets around the world and the youthful
shooters painfully come to grip with their innocent but costly
mistake.
A Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza) fights to balance the
happiness and success she has found in the U.S. with the life she
left on the other side of the border.
While the stories seem miles apart, the storytelling is poignant
and powerful, beautifully weaving the four tales into one.
The movie boasts an outstanding cast including A-listers such as
Blanchett (excellent as always) and Pitt (in one of his strongest
performances to date), but the true star of “Babel” is
its script, written by “21 Grams” scribe Guillermo
Arriaga.
Like “21 Grams,” each character’s pain is
draining, but the emotional investment in the characters is
immediate and irreparable.
The film and its message of family creates lasting
impressions.
Under the direction of Alejandro González
Iñárritu (“21 Grams”), “Babel” is
also an aesthetically exceptional work.
Iñárritu, who received the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
Best Director award for this film, takes advantage of his three
very different palettes, painting a culturally-rich Mexico, a
vibrant Tokyo and a desolate but memorable Morocco.
These settings are appropriately textured, lively backdrops for
such complex and multi-layered characters.
Contrary to its title, there is nothing confusing about this
tangled yet touching tale.