Babel Movie Review

Babel (2006)

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Written by: Guillermo Arriaga (written by), Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro G. Iñárritu (idea)
Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal
Rated: R
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Plot
A married couple's tragedy while on vacation is the impetus for four interlocking stories.

Verdict
This isn't bad. It's got slick editing and a winding story, but it's heavy handed and contrived. The non-synchronous delivery adds to the tension, but it's a mask for lack of development. The first hour is engrossing, but that intensity slowly fades and never returns as the movie continues.
It depends.

Review
This is part of Innaritu's death trilogy, comprised of Babel, Amores Perros (2000), and 21 Grams (2003). Each contain intersecting disparate story lines.

This movie ha something for everyone with a chicken beheading, Brad Pitt beating up an elderly man, Cate Blanchett unconscious for most of the movie, and a kidnapping.

Babel follows two children who herd goats, a married couple (Pitt and Blanchett), a nanny, and a deaf Japanese girl. The story lines are linked only tangentially, and this isn't chronological. The story structure feels like it's done just to add drama and tension. While this keeps the pacing quick, it also makes it more of a mystery as we try to figure out what happened, in what order, and how these stories are linked.

The film boasts great editing, part of that is due to the multiple story lines. Most movies don't juggle this many story lines at a time, and this allows the maximum amount of emotion extracted, ending scenes at an emotional peak. Multiple times I was impressed with where scenes ended or started and it's not something I usually notice, unless it's done exceptionally well. This is a great example of how editing can shape a movie. Even a tour bus scene, which plays an important role in the beginning is edited so that you can begin to place where you are to determine the first story intersection.

Heavy handed and contrived.

The underlying theme, as you might have guessed from the title, is communication. We get language, cultural, and emotional barriers as people try to understand each other and themselves. This is combined with the ripple in the pond effect where one tragedy affects multiple people. It feels like Oscar bait at times with heavy handed emotionally manipulative stories loosely stitched together. The story links are contrived. This isn't bad, it's just lacking. The first hour is strong, but it lost steam as I began to wonder more how the story lines would wrap than what was actually happening. Each of these stories features an initial shock, that is then just prolonged until the end.

One of my favorite parts is when the rest of the tour bus wants to leave Pitt and Blanchett's characters during their crisis. The reason? It's too hot. While they are scared too, it's silly but with a hint of realism. Unfortunately I felt like leaving this movie long before that scene occurred.