Tweet

Alejandro González Iñárritu is one of the most ambitious directors of contemporary world cinema – his films tackle big themes, and follow unconventional narratives. His previous work displays a unique and exciting cinematic imagination that runs throughout his latest film, Babel, which won him the Best Director award at Cannes. As with Amores Perros and 21 Grams, Iñárritu juggles multiple connected storylines within the narrative: a tourist (Cate Blanchett) is shot while travelling in Morocco with her husband (Brad Pitt); their Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza) faces problems when attending the wedding of her son with the couple’s two children; two Moroccan children are given a gun to kill jackals; and a Japanese deaf-mute (Rinko Kikuchi) yearns for intimacy.
Numerous languages are used throughout the film, including English, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Berber and Sign Language, and the failure to communicate is a major theme throughout the movie, hence the religious allusion in the title. Iñárritu’s custom of playing with narrative timelines works brilliantly here, making the audience feel as disorientated and unnerved as the protagonists (although we, unlike the characters, have the benefit of subtitles for the various languages). We know the likely fate of the tourist as we jump forward to a telephone conversation with the nanny, yet the scenes of the husband desperately trying to get medical help are no less nerve-racking. Likewise we know that the Japanese deaf-mute must be connected somehow to the shooting, but the link is only revealed at the film’s close.
Surprisingly, the best performances come from the lesser known actors – Barraza is very moving as the loving nanny thrust into a nightmarish scenario, whilst Kikuchi’s expressive performance beautifully conveys the heartbreak of isolation. It is she who earns the privileged last shot of the film, a powerful pan-back that takes the breath away. Both actresses were Oscar nominated, although they were ludicrously beaten by Jennifer Hudson’s histrionics in Dreamgirls.
An intelligent, impressive work directed with ambition and sensitivity, Babel is undoubtedly one of the best films of last year. Other far-reaching dramas that tackle big themes often seem portentous and self-important, yet Babel aims for a trenchant study of humanity’s failure to communicate and hits its target.

 

Alex Davidson on 16th April 2007
View all 212 of Alex Davidson's reviews