[Film] If You Want to be Understood...Listen (Babel (DVD))

Name: Andy.mack

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Product:	Babel (DVD)
Date:	14.06.07 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A gripping script, good cast and excellent direction

Disadvantages: if you don't like subtitles avoid this

When I first seen the advert for Babel I have to admit that I really wasn’t sure if it would be my sort of film. The more I thought about it though, the more tempted I was to actually watch it. It seemed like a movie that was going to need an evening set aside to watch it and Thursday night that is exactly what I did. Having finished work and pottering around the flat I lay back on the sofa to see if Babel lived up to all the hype I’d heard about it. Of course despite all the good things I had heard about it I went into it without any expectations and have to admit to being very surprised.

A married couple are on holiday in Morocco, where Susan (Cate Blanchett) is shot as they travel through the mountains in a bus. For her husband Richard (Brad Pitt) it’s a race against time to try and save her life. When this happens it sets off a chain of events that have repercussions for 3 other sets of people in different parts of the world. In Morocco itself a family of Goat Herders, In America a Mexican Nanny and the kids she looks after and in Japan a deaf mute girl are all affected by the events in the Moroccan mountains.

Having started watching it without any expectations I was incredibly impressed by Babel. It was a film that really had my mind working in over drive from the start and while I wasn’t expecting it to be so thought provoking it really worked for me. As far as drama’s go this is one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It’s filmed using a similar concept to Crash, but unlike Crash there aren’t as many stories going on at once and the four makes it a little easier to follow. It’s one of those movies that really keeps you waiting till the end to really work out what’s going on and for that reason I believe it’s a film that has quite limited appeal.

This is the second movie from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that I’ve seen over the last few months, having recently seen 21 Grams as well. I found his directorial style to be very precise and effective in the aim he is trying to achieve. He uses some interesting angles and some very wide shots for affect on this movie and I have to say the direction really is first class. There is something about the way he has pulled the film together that really makes an impact on you as he transforms Guillermo Arriaga’s script onto the big screen.

Having written the two previous feature films for Inarritu it is no surprise that Arriaga and Inarritu have teamed up again. The script is quite moving and the plot really flows nicely together. It will put people off that the plot doesn’t come together till the very end but for me that adds a bit of extra suspense to it as you, the viewer, try to work out the link and where everything fits into one another. There are some scene’s in this film that are quite explicit in nature but rather than causing outrage or repulsion actually add to the plot. The use of subtitles in both the Japanese and Moroccan scenes adds an even more powerful sense of realism to the movie as you aren’t watching Moroccan characters talking in English and expected to just accept it.

The cast was simply stunning. I’ve always been a fan of Brad Pitt but his role in Babel really surpasses almost everything else I’ve seen him in. He actually suits the more involved, serious roles and after some of the roles I’ve seen him in it still surprises me how well he does this sort of role. Unlike Pitt I’ve never really been a fan of Cate Blanchett and while her performance in this film is quite good I didn’t really take to her character, although she did spend most of the film lying on a floor with a bullet through her shoulder.

Even though I thought that Pitt’s performance was so good I actually thought he was out done by young Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi who plays the mute, deaf Japanese girl. I was very surprised to hear afterwards that Rinko isn’t actually a deaf actress, so convincing is her performance. The whole cast was very impressive though and Inarritu should take a great deal of credit for the way he seems to have cast actors and actresses into each role as it really makes the film. Due to their performances you actually find yourself caring about what happens to each and every character.

So overall would I recommend Babel as a film that is worth watching? In short yes I would but before you do have a think about what sort of film your looking for. If you want a movie that really immerses you in it and has you thinking from start to finish then yes this is for you. If on the other hand you want something easy going, that’s easy to work out or you hate subtitles on your films then I’d suggest giving this a miss. It is a brilliant film though and it’s easy to see why it’s won as many awards as it has.

Amazon: £12.98
Amazon Marketplace: £8.99

Summary: A drama that really requires your attention