Babel (2006) – Review

*Contains spoilers

Directed by Alejandro Gonz?°lez I?±?°rritu

Babel the third feature film by Director Alejandro Gonz?°lez I?±?°rritu is by far his greatest achievement to date. His first film ‚ÄòAmores perros‚Äô (2000) had a similar dimension to Babel with multiple stories interlinking each other in a non-chronological fashion. Babel continues on from ‚ÄòAmores perros‚Äô and ‚Äò21 Grams‚Äô his second film, encompassing more than three storylines in multiple locations, which include San Diego, Mexico, Morocco and Japan.

Babel sees I?±?°rritu reunite with a trusted group of experienced craftsmen that include Writer Guillermo Arriaga, Director of Photography Rodrigo Prieto and Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, in this film his largest film to date in terms of production and budget as well as many other factors.

So to Babel‚Äôs story, Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) travel to Moroccan desert away from their children and home back in San Diego, for a quiet break in an effort to salvage their marriage. An accident occurs when Susan is shot and Richard desperately tries to seek medical attention in order to save Susan’s life. Subsequently an investigation begins to find the shooter.

In San Diego РRichard and Susan’s children Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble) travel to Mexico with Santiago (Gael Garc??a Bernal) and their nanny Amelia (Adrianna Barraza) to attend her son’s Wedding, but on their return home they run into trouble when trying to cross the Mexican border.

In Japan a father Yasujiro (K?¥ji Yakusho) who has had to come to terms with the death of his wife tries to better his relationship with his daughter. His daughter Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) desperately seeks companionship.

Three different cultures unfold three stories, which set off an emphatic interlocking story slowly revealed to the audience as the film progresses. This multi-story and multi-layered approach to filmmaking is one of I?±?°rritu‚Äôs trademarks that makes his films unlike any other one of the reasons why Babel has received such praise.

One of the main themes throughout the film is communication and the ability to listen to one another, in particular the language barrier that divides us, not only in speech, but also in our ability to understand one‚Äôs feelings and emotions. This theme is seen most prominently in the Japan story involving Chieko, a deaf-mute teenager who has to deal with the prejudice towards her. I?±?°rritu and his crew experienced similar language difficulties when filming on location in Morocco and Japan. His ability to direct experienced actors as well as non-actors is something truly commendable. The title of the film inspired by the Tower of Babel has biblical references and also talks of the different languages that were formed to divide man.

Brad Pitt’s performance is genuine and on par with the character he’s playing. His unconditional love for his wife is seen as he tries his best to get her medical aid as quickly as possible. In this branch of the story we learn more about Moroccan culture. As Richard and Susan are stranded in the desert with no immediate way of getting to a hospital, they go to the small village of Tazarine. The head of the village, an elderly woman who looks after Susan as Richard seeks help, shows her wisdom in her actions as she prays quietly for the well-being of the wounded woman lying next to her. Her face tells a story of years of hardship surviving in a poor village.

Rinko Kikuchi’s performance is for me the one that stands out, as it was the most challenging. Working with a group of deaf-mute teenagers and learning sign language was required for the role, after she spent a year-long process auditioning for the role of Chieko, successfully gaining the part.

The cinematography in the film is also exceptional and is worth talking about. The opening scene sees a man walking in the Moroccan desert, the steadicam tracks the character and the audience as though we’re walking with the person. This is but one example of where the use of steadicam and ‘natural-like’ camera work adds to the sense of realism and being encapsulated by the film. In the end of the film there is a sequence with helicopters as it flies above Casablanca capturing the cityscape before sunset. The warm oranges of the sun and cool blues emerging are great.

The cinematography in Japan is also very good, where the camera is able to capture the buzzing city life and we see through the eyes of Chieko and are able to perceive how she sees and hears the world. A brilliant example of this is when she goes to a club with her friends; she can only feel the vibrations generated by the deep bass sounds coming out of the speakers. The editing in this scene cuts from the music blaring out of the speakers to Chieko’s point of view, ultimately a world of silence.

Camera work and editing come together several times throughout the film. There are silent montage sequences where the real-life sounds are drowned out and are replaced with a fitting piece of music most often a guitar. The sequences help to focus the audience’s attention on the images on the screen. These sequences coupled with the music instil a reflective feeling.

The editing flows cohesively jumping back and forth between each story, often cutting at a point of high tension (like a sort of tension and release) using subtle audio transitions to take us to the another thread of the story. In this way the film creates balance.

The score is simple and compliments the visuals, not overpowering with strong musical cues. In the Japan segment we see examples of Japanese ‘Pop’ culture with the teenagers dressed ‘funky’ with a retro feel and this is reflected in the music that is chosen in the sequences. The last musical cue begins in an elevator as Yasujiro comes home – the piece by composer Ryuchi Sakamoto entitled ‘Bibo no Aozora’, sums up the feeling of the last 142 odd minutes, that of reflection.

For me the messages in the film are important, but more so, the relationships between the characters, most notably between the parents/ guardians and the children, and the sense of humanity revealed by these relationships, that make up the fabric of the film.

The tagline of the film is ‘listen’, and it’s shown in the course of the film that we don’t always do this and as a result overreact, speculate or cause misunderstanding.

When I went to see Babel at the cinemas, the crowd reaction was not what I expected. Having heard about applauses in other films such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, I was expecting to hear an applause with Babel. But I was mistaken; instead, there was no crowd reaction. I think this was because we took more away with us to think about. The film was not meant to be entertaining, but an example of how a film that is only a little over two hours long can leave with you with a profound feeling.

When talking about Babel and his other films on the Charlie Rose Show along with fellow collaborators and friends Alfonso Cuar??n and Guillermo del Toro, I?±?°rritu said his films are about reality. The underlying theme seen in Amores peros, 21 Grams and Babel is the relationship between parents and their children, a very real issue to deal with in films. With a story that spans three continents Babel shows a real-world view of this complex relationship.

10/10