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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, Babel is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on Amores Perros and 21 Grams) weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet Babel isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, Babel is it. --Sam Graham
Stills from Babel (click for larger image)
Beyond Babel
 Other Interweaving Storylines on DVD |  Other DVDs by Director Alejandro González Iñárritu |  Why We Love Cate Blanchett |
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Product Description
In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace.
In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost – lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves – as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love.
In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages – and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel> and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Kôji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel’s take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By Suzanne
Format:DVD
I have to start by saying how desperately hard I found this film to review. It's so complex, has so much to say, and works on so many levels. At the same time, it's not an easy film. It's apparent reading the reviews how much trouble people have had with this film - for any number of reasons. Perhaps they felt it a bit long, and didn't care about what was being said. Perhaps they couldn't relate to the actions and choices the characters made, and didn't sympathize or empathize with them. Or perhaps the film's unusual structure left them a bit cold and disconnected. Whatever the reason, the 3.5 star current rating reflects the majority's inability to really "connect" with this film.
For those who don't know, Babel tells 4 different revolving stories across 4 countries (USA, Mexico, Morocco, Japan), and how the actions of one effected all of the others. On another level, the Biblical story of Babel was a story of how man tried to build a tower to God. In doing so they were struck down and punished by speaking different languages - rendering their ability to communicate null. Babel takes this idea of man's inability to communicate and creates a film that expresses this idea on a multitude of levels. Whether it's through race and discrimination, cultural differences, handicaps, or through personal anger and estrangement.
I also find it very interesting that the over-arching idea of communication is told in a backwards but interlocking fashion through the 4 storylines. Starting from the last to enter to the first what we see is: Man's desperate, primal need to communicate with others. This basic idea is rendered in a heartfelt, poignant manner through Rinko Kikuchi's performance of a deaf teenager, and reiterated in many scenes. The separation and isolation from others is driven home through the dance club sequence, and Rinko's sobering exit. The next stage is man forming bonds with others. This is told through the relationship of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. This single stage of communication is on the intimate, personal level with another person.
Moving from this we get to a larger stage, in man creating societal groups, and forming barriers to separate from other society groups. This point is driven home by the Mexico/America border scene. This creation of barriers and walls is one that's inevitable as large groups start to form. And it's through this that discrimination is born. The final stage is how man causes harm to others because of these barriers. It's ironic, or perhaps appropriate that this violence is expressed through the actions of children. What better way to show how discrimination caused by separation caused by lack of communication can effect not only ourselves but future generations?
It has been noted many times that the cinematic merits of this film are impeccable, and nearly impossible to dispute. Editing, cinematography, score, sound, etc. are all handled with a true level of directorial mastery. The acting is equally superb. The two "big names" of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett turn in terrific and (surprisingly) understated performances. They're not given alot to work with, but they bring a level of depth to roles that could've been extremely hollow. But Rinko Kikuchi, as the Japanese teenager deserves extreme praise for her handling of a particularly difficult role. The demands on her in this film are higher than any one else. Throughout all of her scenes she runs the gamut of emotions, and she handles them with a level of genuine emotion and a delicate touch. Even in a film with great all-around performances, she steals the show. Adriana Barraza as the Mexican nanny is almost equally as good as Rinko. Finally, Mustapha Rachidi as the Moroccan farmer is only of lesser note in light of the other extraordinary performances, but is excellent as well.
I find the two storylines of the Moroccan farmer and his family, and the Mexican nanny are the two most difficult. I say this because of the 4 storylines, these were the only two that ended up in the situations they did because of bad decisions. But is it so simple? In the case of the Moroccan farmer and his children, they end up in the situation because of the children being forced to grow up so fast. This is expressed in multiply ways throughout the storyline. Is the reason they end up where they do due to stupidity or just immaturity? In the case of the Mexican nanny, she makes one seemingly harmless decision to take the children she's watching to a marriage in Mexico. But on the way back a series of horrendous events leaves her and the children struggling for their lives in the desert. The scene where things break down at the border is one of the films key moments regarding communication.
It could be the cultural divide. It could be the odd, interlocking narrative. Whatever it may be, Babel is just not going to be a film that's a huge hit here in the USA. It's interesting that this film is about man's inability to communicate, and Americans are particularly bad in that we're too wrapped up in our own culture. If we don't understand it, we don't like it. It really says something that this film has been a huge hit throughout the world, but grossed relatively little here. Films like Crash, Syriana, and the like have garnered much more attention, yet Babel has out-grossed them both world-wide, but not here. Overall I think it will be left up to the individual in terms of how much they get out of this film. If you're willing to look deeper and try to understand each individual story within its context and what's being said, this is a film that will likely really hit home with you. Its resounding statement is how we should really stop and take the time to listen to one another and then go the extra mile to not just listen, but really understand one another.
For those who don't know, Babel tells 4 different revolving stories across 4 countries (USA, Mexico, Morocco, Japan), and how the actions of one effected all of the others. On another level, the Biblical story of Babel was a story of how man tried to build a tower to God. In doing so they were struck down and punished by speaking different languages - rendering their ability to communicate null. Babel takes this idea of man's inability to communicate and creates a film that expresses this idea on a multitude of levels. Whether it's through race and discrimination, cultural differences, handicaps, or through personal anger and estrangement.
I also find it very interesting that the over-arching idea of communication is told in a backwards but interlocking fashion through the 4 storylines. Starting from the last to enter to the first what we see is: Man's desperate, primal need to communicate with others. This basic idea is rendered in a heartfelt, poignant manner through Rinko Kikuchi's performance of a deaf teenager, and reiterated in many scenes. The separation and isolation from others is driven home through the dance club sequence, and Rinko's sobering exit. The next stage is man forming bonds with others. This is told through the relationship of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. This single stage of communication is on the intimate, personal level with another person.
Moving from this we get to a larger stage, in man creating societal groups, and forming barriers to separate from other society groups. This point is driven home by the Mexico/America border scene. This creation of barriers and walls is one that's inevitable as large groups start to form. And it's through this that discrimination is born. The final stage is how man causes harm to others because of these barriers. It's ironic, or perhaps appropriate that this violence is expressed through the actions of children. What better way to show how discrimination caused by separation caused by lack of communication can effect not only ourselves but future generations?
It has been noted many times that the cinematic merits of this film are impeccable, and nearly impossible to dispute. Editing, cinematography, score, sound, etc. are all handled with a true level of directorial mastery. The acting is equally superb. The two "big names" of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett turn in terrific and (surprisingly) understated performances. They're not given alot to work with, but they bring a level of depth to roles that could've been extremely hollow. But Rinko Kikuchi, as the Japanese teenager deserves extreme praise for her handling of a particularly difficult role. The demands on her in this film are higher than any one else. Throughout all of her scenes she runs the gamut of emotions, and she handles them with a level of genuine emotion and a delicate touch. Even in a film with great all-around performances, she steals the show. Adriana Barraza as the Mexican nanny is almost equally as good as Rinko. Finally, Mustapha Rachidi as the Moroccan farmer is only of lesser note in light of the other extraordinary performances, but is excellent as well.
I find the two storylines of the Moroccan farmer and his family, and the Mexican nanny are the two most difficult. I say this because of the 4 storylines, these were the only two that ended up in the situations they did because of bad decisions. But is it so simple? In the case of the Moroccan farmer and his children, they end up in the situation because of the children being forced to grow up so fast. This is expressed in multiply ways throughout the storyline. Is the reason they end up where they do due to stupidity or just immaturity? In the case of the Mexican nanny, she makes one seemingly harmless decision to take the children she's watching to a marriage in Mexico. But on the way back a series of horrendous events leaves her and the children struggling for their lives in the desert. The scene where things break down at the border is one of the films key moments regarding communication.
It could be the cultural divide. It could be the odd, interlocking narrative. Whatever it may be, Babel is just not going to be a film that's a huge hit here in the USA. It's interesting that this film is about man's inability to communicate, and Americans are particularly bad in that we're too wrapped up in our own culture. If we don't understand it, we don't like it. It really says something that this film has been a huge hit throughout the world, but grossed relatively little here. Films like Crash, Syriana, and the like have garnered much more attention, yet Babel has out-grossed them both world-wide, but not here. Overall I think it will be left up to the individual in terms of how much they get out of this film. If you're willing to look deeper and try to understand each individual story within its context and what's being said, this is a film that will likely really hit home with you. Its resounding statement is how we should really stop and take the time to listen to one another and then go the extra mile to not just listen, but really understand one another.
125 of 157 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe Not The Significant Document Of Our Time It Hopes To Be--But Riveting Drama Nonetheless
December 9, 2006
"Babel" is the latest narratively and chronologically twisted epic from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. This is getting to be a specialty of his. He weaves different plots and characters together in unlikely ways hoping to surprise and enhance the dramatic affect of his storytelling. It brought him wide acclaim for his breakthrough "Amores Perros" a funny and thrilling ride for man and dog! The device was a bit more unnecessary in "21 Grams"--but that smaller film ended up being my choice for the best acted film of its year. But now he takes his skill and technical prowess to his biggest canvas yet.
"Babel" is set in Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the United States. We follow the interlocking stories of a Moroccan farming family, a couple of American tourists, a disaffected and deaf/mute Japanese schoolgirl, and a Mexican maid and her two American charges. One bullet brings all the stories together. As one of the tourists, Cate Blanchett, is accidentally shot--the repercussions are felt around the world.
This is an ambitious picture, and I do believe the narrative framing and structure enhance the overall experience. From a technical standpoint, there is not much more you could ask for--this is an awesome achievement. From editing, score, screenplay, cinematography and art direction--"Babel" is propelled to the short list of great studio films this year. The acting is uniformly excellent. Brad Pitt as Blanchett's husband and Rinku Kikuchi as the Japanese girl have been singled out repeatedly (and are likely Oscar contenders), but everyone here is in top form. This is heavy drama, and I can understand why that scares some people away--but the payoff is worth it. It is harrowing and unpleasant at times, but riveting and emotional throughout.
"Babel" is clearly a film made with serious intentions--and I'm not entirely sure it's as successful as it hopes to be. The philosophical implications, the biblical allegory, the effort to document the state of the world, the examination of a disaffected society, the randomness of the universal ties that bind, and the commentary at the lack of communication and understanding in the world--it's all here! There are certainly individual moments within "Babel" that will strike a chord, and it's definitely an intelligently made film, I just don't necessarily think that it is as "significant" as some make it out to be. I admire that it tries to deliver a social commentary without being "preachy"--but it moves perilously close at several times (times where 2 seconds of rational thought and explanation could have resolved something--but people were more villainous than understanding). Ultimately, though, I must embrace "Babel" as great adult filmmaking and powerful drama. About 4 1/2 stars from me--I'm rounding up for the sheer scope and ambition present. KGHarris, 12/06.
"Babel" is set in Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the United States. We follow the interlocking stories of a Moroccan farming family, a couple of American tourists, a disaffected and deaf/mute Japanese schoolgirl, and a Mexican maid and her two American charges. One bullet brings all the stories together. As one of the tourists, Cate Blanchett, is accidentally shot--the repercussions are felt around the world.
This is an ambitious picture, and I do believe the narrative framing and structure enhance the overall experience. From a technical standpoint, there is not much more you could ask for--this is an awesome achievement. From editing, score, screenplay, cinematography and art direction--"Babel" is propelled to the short list of great studio films this year. The acting is uniformly excellent. Brad Pitt as Blanchett's husband and Rinku Kikuchi as the Japanese girl have been singled out repeatedly (and are likely Oscar contenders), but everyone here is in top form. This is heavy drama, and I can understand why that scares some people away--but the payoff is worth it. It is harrowing and unpleasant at times, but riveting and emotional throughout.
"Babel" is clearly a film made with serious intentions--and I'm not entirely sure it's as successful as it hopes to be. The philosophical implications, the biblical allegory, the effort to document the state of the world, the examination of a disaffected society, the randomness of the universal ties that bind, and the commentary at the lack of communication and understanding in the world--it's all here! There are certainly individual moments within "Babel" that will strike a chord, and it's definitely an intelligently made film, I just don't necessarily think that it is as "significant" as some make it out to be. I admire that it tries to deliver a social commentary without being "preachy"--but it moves perilously close at several times (times where 2 seconds of rational thought and explanation could have resolved something--but people were more villainous than understanding). Ultimately, though, I must embrace "Babel" as great adult filmmaking and powerful drama. About 4 1/2 stars from me--I'm rounding up for the sheer scope and ambition present. KGHarris, 12/06.
89 of 119 people found the following review helpful
Chapter 11 of Genesis tells a story of mankind's attempt to reach heaven by building a tower, not as a way to glorify God but as a way for mankind to glorify themselves by putting them on God's level. God strikes the plan down by confusing/creating different languages so that the builders cannot understand each other thereby suspending communication. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, along with his screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga's take on this material is "Babel" their third and most ambitiously produced film with locales in Morocco, Japan, San Diego and Mexico and like the Bible story, Iñárritu is once again dealing with communication or lack thereof: how we talk and either no one listens or more to the point...doesn't understand. Simple themes told exceedingly well here.
In the best sequence, shot in Japan a deaf mute girl, Chieko (Rinko Cucuchi), desperate for attention and contact other than she can get from her pals, tells (actually signs) to her father (a sad sack Koji Yakusho from "Shall We Dance?"): "You Never Listen to Me!" Ironic on at least a couple of levels. Chieko is reeling from the normal drama of being a teen as well as the not so normal drama of having found her Mother dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She is also dealing with a father who is also devastated and unable to comfort himself much less his daughter. They live in a glacial glass high-rise box in Tokyo: a symbol of the icy coldness of the lives that they live within.
The two other parts of the film deal with the stars (a very good Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in Morocco on vacation (!?) and a supposed terrorist attack and the third, a very real and scary sequence involving the Pitt/Blanchett children and their caretaker, Amelia (a terrific Adriana Barraza) and their harrowing journey into Baja California.
Every one of Iñárritu's films ("Amores Perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel") contain at least one gut-wrenching, emotional and transcendentally beautiful scene: the dog fight in "Amores Perros," the Naomi Watts scene with Sean Penn in which she explains how it is to lose a family in a random accident in "21 Grams" and here in Babel: Chieko at a Shinto dance club, the soundtrack stopping and starting to approximate Chieko's experience, Chieko: wide-eyed, wide-eyed, mouth agape...experiencing a world in which feeling and touching is paramount and hearing isn't.
Though Iñárritu and Arriaga stretch the "if a butterfly flutters its wings in Hawaii, etc." metaphor to the breaking point, there is no doubt that
"Babel" has got the goods where it counts: deep in the recesses of its soul and heart.
In the best sequence, shot in Japan a deaf mute girl, Chieko (Rinko Cucuchi), desperate for attention and contact other than she can get from her pals, tells (actually signs) to her father (a sad sack Koji Yakusho from "Shall We Dance?"): "You Never Listen to Me!" Ironic on at least a couple of levels. Chieko is reeling from the normal drama of being a teen as well as the not so normal drama of having found her Mother dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She is also dealing with a father who is also devastated and unable to comfort himself much less his daughter. They live in a glacial glass high-rise box in Tokyo: a symbol of the icy coldness of the lives that they live within.
The two other parts of the film deal with the stars (a very good Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in Morocco on vacation (!?) and a supposed terrorist attack and the third, a very real and scary sequence involving the Pitt/Blanchett children and their caretaker, Amelia (a terrific Adriana Barraza) and their harrowing journey into Baja California.
Every one of Iñárritu's films ("Amores Perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel") contain at least one gut-wrenching, emotional and transcendentally beautiful scene: the dog fight in "Amores Perros," the Naomi Watts scene with Sean Penn in which she explains how it is to lose a family in a random accident in "21 Grams" and here in Babel: Chieko at a Shinto dance club, the soundtrack stopping and starting to approximate Chieko's experience, Chieko: wide-eyed, wide-eyed, mouth agape...experiencing a world in which feeling and touching is paramount and hearing isn't.
Though Iñárritu and Arriaga stretch the "if a butterfly flutters its wings in Hawaii, etc." metaphor to the breaking point, there is no doubt that
"Babel" has got the goods where it counts: deep in the recesses of its soul and heart.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Waste of time and money
Babel was very difficult to understand. There were vague connections between the families but the whole film was boring. Don't bother with this film!!!!!
Published 2 days ago by Veeda
4.0 out of 5 stars
AT IT'S HEART - BABEL IS A STORY ABOUT A JAPANESE GIRL TRYING TO GET...
Babel, at it's heart, is the story about a japanese girl that just really, really needs to get laid.
Spoiler: it doesn't happen.
Spoiler: it doesn't happen.
Published 2 days ago by Pearl Jams lion
3.0 out of 5 stars
When it ended, I wondered, "what was the point?"
Good acting, but when it ended, I was left wondering: What was the point?
That guns can be bad?
That teens drink alcohol and pop pills? Read more
That guns can be bad?
That teens drink alcohol and pop pills? Read more
Published 3 days ago by V. R. Padgett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie.
At first I wasn't sure if this movies was going to be worth staying with, but as it went on it was apparent that it indeed was. I mean, Pitt and Blanchett! Read more
Published 4 days ago by funninaround
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not light entertainment
This movie is good with excellent interaction of the different story lines. But that also means you need to pay attention
Published 6 days ago by Peter Kaup
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very engaging
I stumbled across this through Google TV Primetime and had to watch it. I remember hearing about it a few years ago. It was very good! Read more
Published 7 days ago by Rich G
1.0 out of 5 stars
BABEL
I suggest do not watch this even if its free. It is very boring. I actually had to fast foward when the little kids were crying in the car because i was so annoyed.
Published 7 days ago by ray
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who doesn't love Brad Pitt?
"Babel" was purchased to replace my original DVD, which I loaned to a friend, who promptly "lost" it... Of course, I love the movie!
Published 12 days ago by "Sam" Walls
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great intertwining plot involving multiple families.
This movie kept us on the edge of our seats. It had a lot of twists and turns. Several stories within one larger story....unique.
Published 13 days ago by David Nuske
4.0 out of 5 stars
Babel is rightly named
This movie moves quickly from events in Morocco to events in Mexico and on to events in Japan. It's almost like watching three different movies. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Lone Star Bob
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