BABEL

The first film seen and first film reviewed since VIFF, I happened to catch Babel on an advanced screening. Having heard good reviews from a friend who had seen it at the Toronto International Film Festival, it was definitely something on the to see list. First off, the debate goes over the pronunciation of the film, is it bah-bo or bay-bo? You decide. I'm not sure if the meaning I've interpreted is right, but for me, this was a film more about personal situations and how one's world can fall apart, and yet while other events are happening to other people in other countries, it almost seems non-existent. Time comes to a stand still as each character seeks to find something for themselves in a world where they are looking to connect with someone else. Babel is interwoven between three stories on three different continents, however they are all linked in too each other. Amelia, a Mexican nanny is caring for children whose parents are in Morocco, the victims of a gunshot in which the gun originally belonged to a Japanese girl's father. While an interesting idea to tie them all together, one is better off watching "Three Needles" if you're looking for a real reason why all the stories are linked. As you're watching one story, you almost forget about the existence of what else is going on, but perhaps this is what the filmmaker was going for, after all, we hear about events happening on around the world on the news, but when it's not on the news, its status dwindles almost to nonexistence until it is brought to our attention again.
The story of Amelia is the one most interesting, her decision to take the children across the American-Mexican border with her so that she can attend her son's wedding is one that will affect the rest of her life forever. Her joy and later plight is a story not too often told. Chieko, a deaf-mute girl in Japan is out to find someone or rather something - attention that decipated after the suicide of her mother. The most intuitive and internal storyline, the use of sign language and sound design that involved brought a deeper level of understanding into the life of a type of character otherwise unknown. And then of course, there's Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in Morrocco. Not much happens with them except for coming to an acceptance that one of their child's death was not their fault, and then the happy ending where she's released from the hospital. A different role for Brad, and a different look too, think Tom Cruise in Collateral.
At a running time of about 2.5 hours, it's definitely a tad long, and could have served as 2 or 3 individual films, but sit and ponder about your own life, what you're thinking about, what you want, and what could possibly happen, it is when you least expect it that your own world will come crashing down.
2/4