“Babel” Review
February 23, 2007 by leora
There was a lot of hype surrounding "Babel" so I had some great expectations when we rented it last week. Although I thought it was interesting and well done, I don’t think it lived up to its reputation. The movie was broken up into four parts spanning four languages and taking place in 4 countries. Each eventually comes together to paint one big picture however it was a bit confusing throughout the story as it wasn’t told in chronological order (Maybe I’ve been spoiled by watching 24 in Real Time). I felt the movie was trying a bit too hard to show how everyone is connected and found that the Japanese storyline especially was unnecessary and didn’t seem to fit. Rinko Kikuchi is nominated for the Oscar for the best supporting actress for her role as the deaf mute girl who is deeply troubled. She has major issues with sexuality that I just thought were gross and strange. If they had completely left out the Japanese aspects of the story I think I would have liked the movie a lot more.
Also nominated for her supporting role is Adriana Barraza who plays the Mexican nanny. She actually does a great job and I wish we had seen more of her in the movie.
I have a hard time being critical of Brad Pitt’s acting because he’s so very sexy. It’s distracting, but I think he did a great job as the husband trying to save his wife. Cate Blanchett was front and center for most of the movie but she was practically unconscious throughout and therefore didn’t have the opportunity to stretch her amazing acting muscles.
I have a feeling that others will disagree with my review of Babel and I won’t be surprised if it gets the Oscar on Sunday. I’ll say one thing for Babel though, it has a fantastic soundtrack and the cinematography is really well done. It deserves the award for best soundtrack for sure. Check it out on video.
Tags: babel, brad pitt, rinko kikuchi, adriana barraza
I have read many Babel reviews. In my opinion, even those that “get it”, dismiss the “scenes from Tokyo”. There are many layers that make up each culture’s segment of the story…and all the layers connect vertically & horizontally….the parallels are not only on a cultural level. The familial relationships are relevant..parent-child, male-female, aggressive-submissive..etc. The character’s are inherently good, struggle with their emotional pain, & rather than act, they react….letting “fear” take control of the wheel. There is a pattern, a cycle, a circle, and, indirectly, subconsciously, via…babble, miscommunication, power struggle, etc….we created a world where everyone seems to be running scared.