Babel

I must confess that I really enjoy movies with large ensemble casts, multiple storylines, and alternations in time that all tie together in some way. I'm really not kidding. I always have. Even before I had seen any, or before the large number that have been coming out in the past few years, I was attracted to the ideas of little storylines coming together to show connections in people's lives. I remember feeling right at home upon first viewing Magnolia. And then there was Crash, my favorite movie of last year. I heard a lot of the bashing given to Crash and I can agree with a lot of it, but it just boiled down to it being a well made and powerful movie to me. Ah, whatever. This isn't about Crash...

I also happened upon Alejandro González Iñárritu. Well, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that then. Even now I have trouble saying the name. But I came across 21 Grams. I was told I wouldn't like it and it was confusing. I saw it and loved it. And later, in an unrelated and unintentional double feature run on my birthday, I saw Amores Perros. I loved both of the films, although in different ways I guess. I just felt a strong connection with characters and emotions in both films. A disturbing emphasis on uncomfortable subject matter can actually lead to interesting things about characters that just aren't gained in most films. It really stuck with me.

Now here is Babel, the third film of the director, with the same focus on an ensemble cast with different stories, each in their own time, all connected in some unknown way that is slowly revealed. One difference is the lack of choppy flashbacks that were frequent in 21 Grams (and may have cause some people to get that "confusing" description I was given). The story sticks to a strict pattern in its 4 alternating stories so you always know what's going on and when in the story that is on. It's a much more open movie for many to follow. But, it's not necessarily meant for a different audience than the other films. There is still some disturbing and strongly emotional stuff in there. Characters are brought down to low levels that some people might not want to deal with. I got similar feelings in Babel as I did in Little Children, which was an uncomfortable fascination.

As far as the movie goes, it was made with an intensely strong level of direction. As I mentioned before, it is very easy to follow, while at the same time the audience isn't exactly sure when or where things are. The shots in the film focus on the physical depth of the character where you can see traces of the deepness of the characters without getting too deep into them. There is a lot of sharing with the actors, so no one is focused on too much. With this, some characters appear to have a little bit less time devoted to them and maybe don't get the treatment they deserve. Some stories just don't feel like they get where they need to go. And at times, some things just feel empty. It's a mixed bag. A lot of the movie works, but the two hour and forty minute length begins bearing down after a while, and the film doesn't flow smoothly enough for audience members to not become restless. Of this trilogy that Iñárritu has created, this is the weakest film. But there is so much good in here for it to hardly be considered a bad film. It's still pretty good. It's just been done better before. And that's what is drawn to mind when an overall thought on the film is reached.

B+

IMDB information on BABEL