As is his signature, director Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose filmography includes Amores Perros (Love’s a Bitch) and 21 Grams, once more weaves different stories into his newest film Babel (2006). Four separate stories somehow interconnect and I shall leave this to the viewer to discover, but will, however, give a short synopsis of the plot:
A poor Moroccan father buys a rifle for his sons to guard against foxes out to kill their trip of goats. An American couple go to Morocco to escape the heartache caused by the loss of their youngest child. They leave their children in the care of their live-in Mexican nanny. When the wife accidentally gets shot whilst travelling on a bus, plans go awry to get someone else to watch over their kids whilst the nanny attends her son’s wedding in Mexico. Consequently she is given the task to stay with the children and miss the ceremony, something she is not willing to do. A Japanese schoolgirl still struggles to come to terms with both her mother’s death some time ago and the alienation she experiences as a deaf-mute teenager with an awakening sexuality.
The biblical reference in the title is quite evident. It refers to the differences between people with regard to race, language, culture, religion and politics, which often set up walls between people and hamper communication. Fear of the “other” leads to isolation, prejudice and intolerance. If only people are willing to break down the walls that separate, we could possibly transcend our differences and find what similarities we all share. Fear, loss, heartache, alienation – these are all emotions we share as human beings – just like love, happiness, hope and a sense of belonging.
Another major theme in the film is the idea of choice: How one questionable choice can have lasting consequences or change the course of one’s life irrevocably. The viewer ponders how different things could have been if the father hadn’t given the rifle to the children. What if the children treated the rifle with the respect it deserved? What if the nanny decided not to take the children to the wedding? Or refused to let them ride back home with her intoxicated nephew? One decision could have made things turn out very differently.
SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT YET WATCHED THE FILM. I was very disturbed by the death of the eldest Moroccan boy. His death was so unjust, yet in the eyes of the world, his death was treated as trivial. The shooting of the American was blown way out of proportion and twisted into a supposed terrorist attack. So much media attention was given to her and to the shooting, but no one took notice of the boy’s murder. It was indeed murder. Poor foreigners are powerless when faced with corrupt power-abusers or rich people that happen to be of the “right” race or ethnicity. It is astonishing how cruel people can be to one another, regardless even of race or nationality. People are often labelled and boxed into stereotypes for others to judge or condemn. It reminds me of the well-known quote by Lord Acton: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Genre: Drama
Running time: 142 min
Country: Mexico/USA/France
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writing credits: Guillermo Arriaga
Producers: Steve Golin
Jon Kilik
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla
Distributed by: Paramount Vantage
Main Cast:
Richard – Brad Pitt
Susan – Cate Blanchette
Amelia – Adrian Barraza
Santiago – Gael García Bernal
Yasujiro – Kôji Yakusho
Abdullah – Mustapa Rachidi
Ahmed – Said Tarchani
Yussef – Boubker Ait El Caid
