Babel Babble

The Tower of Babel was built by men in an attempt to reach the heavens without reverence to God. Angered by this defiance, God divided these men by creating languages and scattering all of humanity to different parts of the Earth so that people could no longer communicate. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film, Babel, brings this concept into modern times, where human disconnection is fed by cultural differences, language barriers, and fear of terrorism.

Three stories take place in Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico, and Japan. A single incident--an accidental shooting in Morocco--profoundly affects several people across the globe. A Morrocan family has to deal with the consequences of their children's reckless acts. Richard (Brad Pitt) frantically tries to save his wife Susan (Cate Blanchett) in Tunisia, while their children are at home and must tag along with their nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barraza), to Mexico for her son's wedding. The trip to Mexico takes a horrific turn for the children and Amelia, which has catastrophic effects on the lives of Amelia and her nephew Santiago (Gael Garcia Bernal). While these two stories are linked seamlessly, Chieko's (Rinko Kikuchi) story in Japan seems to only serve as emphasis for the overall themes. As a teenage girl living as a deaf-mute, Chieko's communication gap with everyone around her is unique and heartbreaking. It never fully connects to the other two stories, but it is no less poignant. The acting is nothing short of riveting. Rinko Kikuchi portrays Chieko with great complexity and vulnerability. Brad Pitt gives possibly the best performance of his career.

Though I found the film to be predictable, I won't spill any more details than that. While it wasn't a flawless piece of work, Babel achieved what I feel are the most important elements of cinema. It tells a story and provokes emotions within its audience. The simplistic, no frills cinematography still manages to leave an imprint on ones mind. Beneath the imagery lies deep human emotion, desperation, and suffering. It truly reflects where our world is today, which is tragic, yet refreshing to see a film that boasts such a realistic point of view. This film is worth seeing--and coming from me, that's saying a lot.