Review of Babel (2006) by Zach J — 28 Apr 2013

Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.

Rating: 10/10 (100%).

This is sort of a tough movie to review, but here goes nothing. "Babel" is a masterpiece, plain and simple, in my personal opinion. It is story with great, albeit emotionally depressing, depth. It is a well-woven tragic tale that connects four different tales and four different families evoking the emotions of pain, loss, suffering, tragedy, and somehow hope. Alejandro Inarritu, who with Guillermo Arriaga Jordon brought us 2001's masterpiece "21 Grams" brings us a refreshing, similarly-structured drama of the triumphs and tragedies of the human spirit. I do not think this is better, or worse, than "21 Grams", they are both on the same level of greatness, in my opinion. The screenplay, written by Guillermo Arriaga Jordan, has great depth and is practically flawless. The dialogue is top notch, and the characters are so lively and extremely well-written, with a breathtaking amount of development in the story. The direction, by Inarritu is well executed with flowing, brilliantly shot cinematography that does not shy away from the disturbing nitty gritty. The whole cast, from Brad Pitt, to Cate Blanchette, to Gael Garcia Bernal, to Said Tarchani who plays Ahmed give truly extraordinary, heart-wrenching performances.

In conclusion of this sloppy review, "Babel" is an experience in every definition of the word, and is without a doubt not only one of the best movies of 2006 in my opinion, but one of the best drama films I have seen in my entire life. I hope this film had the same kind of effect on others as it did on me, and I highly recommend it.