This one will surely be mentioned this coming Oscar season. Believe the hype. It has it all, great direction, acting, story, and visuals.
4 story lines that coincide with each other are what makes Babel a great film. I was immediately reminded about Traffic, another film I really like. They are all connected not just by the film's theme but the stories overlap as a result from previous events. What makes Babel different from Traffic is that the film goes back and fourth in time, not just between the stories. By the end of the film you will be saying "if this didn't happen then....".
This is Brad Pitt's best work since 12 Monkeys in my opinion. It's probably because he's just being a normal guy, a loving husband, and father. While Pitt is the headline star here, it doesn't necessarily mean he's in the bulk of the film, in fact he is probably in the film around 30 minutes in total. The film is strengthened by an ensemble of actors who are relatively unknown.
The plot revolves around Pitt and his wife Cate Blanchett who are vacationing in Morocco. Blanchett is subsequently shot and the mayhem ensues. The story also focuses on the couple's nanny who is forced to take their two young children with her to her son's wedding in Mexico because she can't find anyone else to watch them. There is also the story about the two young boys who fire the shot that injuries Blanchett's character. Then there is the seemingly unrelated story about a young Japanese deaf-mute. Giving away any specific details would ruin the experience.
So often in numerous films today, the director never gives us enough to have a feeling about the characters. In a film that has more than a couple main characters, Alejandro González Iñárritu lets us into each character's own personal world and dilemma. You feel for the characters and that is why the film is so great. A film with this much complexity could have easily been rushed but Babel hits the spot because it tells a complete story and gives us enough closure to be satisfied.
4 story lines that coincide with each other are what makes Babel a great film. I was immediately reminded about Traffic, another film I really like. They are all connected not just by the film's theme but the stories overlap as a result from previous events. What makes Babel different from Traffic is that the film goes back and fourth in time, not just between the stories. By the end of the film you will be saying "if this didn't happen then....".
This is Brad Pitt's best work since 12 Monkeys in my opinion. It's probably because he's just being a normal guy, a loving husband, and father. While Pitt is the headline star here, it doesn't necessarily mean he's in the bulk of the film, in fact he is probably in the film around 30 minutes in total. The film is strengthened by an ensemble of actors who are relatively unknown.
The plot revolves around Pitt and his wife Cate Blanchett who are vacationing in Morocco. Blanchett is subsequently shot and the mayhem ensues. The story also focuses on the couple's nanny who is forced to take their two young children with her to her son's wedding in Mexico because she can't find anyone else to watch them. There is also the story about the two young boys who fire the shot that injuries Blanchett's character. Then there is the seemingly unrelated story about a young Japanese deaf-mute. Giving away any specific details would ruin the experience.
So often in numerous films today, the director never gives us enough to have a feeling about the characters. In a film that has more than a couple main characters, Alejandro González Iñárritu lets us into each character's own personal world and dilemma. You feel for the characters and that is why the film is so great. A film with this much complexity could have easily been rushed but Babel hits the spot because it tells a complete story and gives us enough closure to be satisfied.