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Mood:
- ContemplativeSincereCaptivatingAtmosphericBleakDisturbingEmotionalRough more...
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Plot:
- Dealing With DeathLife is a BitchMind and SoulMisfitSocietyUnfulfillmentFamily RelationsImmigrants more...
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Genres:
- DramaIndependent
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Time/Period:
- Contemporary21st Century
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Place:
- AsiaCaliforniaJapanMexicoMoroccoDesert
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Praise:
- Award WinnerGolden Globe WinnerPrestigious AwardsOscar Winner
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Style:
- Ensemble CastMultiple Stories
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Attitudes:
- SeriousRealisticSlow
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Flag:
- Drugs/AlcoholNudityProfanityViolent Content
Does this gene fit Babel?
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Babel, 2006
English, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Japanese Sign Language, Berber, French
France, USA, Mexico
Profile of Babel
The mood of Babel is contemplative, sincere, and captivating. The plot centers around dealing with death, misfits, and themes of unfulfillment. It is a drama and independent movie. Stylistically, Babel involves multiple stories and stars an ensemble cast. In approach, it is serious and realistic. The pacing is slow. Babel takes place, at least partly, in the desert. The setting is Morocco, Mexico, and Japan. It happens in contemporary times. Babel is known for being a Golden Globe winner and an Oscar winner. Note that it includes drugs/alcohol, nudity, and profanity.
Summary of Babel
BABEL is the crowning achievement in the trilogy from the unstoppable creative pairing of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, which also includes AMORES PERROS (2000) and 21 GRAMS (2003). Building upon its predecessors' method of weaving together disparate storylines, BABEL reaches new heights of ambition with a tale that, in the absence of traditional narrative and protagonist, relies on numerous incredible performances to evoke an affecting relevance by framing contemporary issues in very human struggles and mistakes. Richard and Susan (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) are a wealthy couple from San Diego who are vacationing in Morocco in order to heal after the death of their young child; their other two children are at home with their Mexican maid, Amelia (Adriana Barraza). In a complex shift of ownership to which the audience is privy, a rifle finds its way into the hands of a local herdsman's young sons (Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Caid), who recklessly take a shot at a tour bus and catch Susan in the shoulder, causing her to nearly lose her life. The distraught Richard calls home to tell Amelia of the situation, who promptly departs for Mexico to attend her child's wedding, with Richard and Susan's children in tow. Disaster thus multiplies, with the situation in Morocco ascribed to terrorists in the media, while Amelia meets with the harsh immigration policies of the Bush administration. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a widower (Koji Yakusho) tied to the rifle in question attempts to deal with his memories and his raucous, promiscuous, deaf daughter (Rinko Kikuchi).
Nearly every performance of the film is devastating, offering an intimate, emotional experience that would approach melodrama if it weren't rendered so realistically. Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto's color palette masterfully captures the muted tones of the harsh natural landscapes of Morocco and the Mexican border, as well as the fluorescent lights of Tokyo that denote another, though equally barren, end of the spectrum. The misunderstandings born of cultural, language, and class barriers are on par with those that occur between family members, depicting a world that, while connected in the least expected of ways, is also faced with a deep-seated crisis that threatens to alienate humanity from itself.
Details
| Language: | English, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Japanese Sign Language, Berber, French |
| Country: | France, USA, Mexico |
| Release date: | 1 September 2006 |
| Runtime: | 143 min |
| Awards: | Academy Awards |
Awards
Cast and Crew
as Susan Jones
as Richard Jones
as Santiago
Photos
Clips
Critics Reviews
USA Today
- |
- by: Claudia Puig
The Hollywood Reporter
- |
- by: Ray Bennett
Users Reviews
- 04.April.2011
- |
- by: efazati
- efazati rated this movie7/10Good
- 04.April.2011
- |
- by: efazati
- efazati rated this movie7/10Good
