Review of Babel (2006) by Nick A — 23 Aug 2012

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has become a director so emotionally depleting that when one leaves the theater after seeing one of his films, he or she is left naked and vulnerable to the world's truths -- both uplifting and heart-breaking. Any film that can have that kind of effect on its viewers is more than noteworthy, it's impressive. That being said, Babel is very impressive.

The film's outline plays as this: Over the span of three continents, one shot of a rifle will entangle the lives of those whom have never been acquainted -- A married American couple touring in the vast emptiness of the Moroccan landscape; two Moroccan boys, who fire the rifle while herding goats; a nanny illegally passing through the border of Mexico with the children of the American couple; and a rebellious Japanese teenager who isolates herself from the love of her father, who is being sought after by the police in the metropolis of Tokyo.

This film is founded on the ancient story of Babel (Babylon, of the Book of Genesis), the city united by a single language, and the mammoth tower that stood at its core for the glorification of man -- an act of pride the Lord held in contempt. As we're told in the trailer, "In the beginning, all the Lord's people, from all parts of the world, spoke one language. Nothing they proposed was impossible for them. But fearing what the spirit of man could accomplish, the Lord said, 'Let us go down and confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.'" Babel plays to this specifically, and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (who worked with Inarritu on 21 Grams and Amores Perros) manipulates each of his characters to suffer at its expense.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto's (who was nominated for an Oscar for his work in Brokeback Mountain) exhibition of photography is nothing short of awe-inspiring and editor Douglas Crise (21 Grams) expertly slices it, so as to leave the audience virtually tasting the sand of the Moroccan desert. The acting ensemble, led by Brad Pitt and Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett, is perfectly cast and among the best of the year. Pitt, who seems to be coming into his own as one of the best actors available, is so convincing as the frantic husband trying desperately to save his dying wife, that Bernal, who seemingly constitutes his character with ease, is left nearly unnoticed.

The film's intensity spawns from the emotion of each actor, which, in all cases, pours from within their despairing characters. Babel is riveting because it says so much more of humanity than we often hear and forces steadily what we seemingly intend to ignore. Among the film's four stories, the most saddening follows Chieko, a deaf-mute teenager repressed from social contact beyond her volleyball teammates, who has lost herself in her own sexual desire and isolation. She's completely vacillating in her trust for all of those around her, including her father, whom she's shunned with frustrated rage.

To be frank, there really are no uplifting stories here -- only ones that open your heart to the tragedies of the world -- though they glimmer with peculiar beauty. Inarritu has outdone himself with this one, crafting his most gut-wrenchingly intense film yet, and one that will resonate through audiences with the likes of such classics as Taxi Driver and 2003's City of God. If one thing can be said in the defense of 2006's other dramas, it's that Babel may be too in-depth with its characters, which, with a running time of nearly two-and-a-half hours, may become a flaw in the minds of many who mean to oversee its uncompromised greatness.