Babel is by far one of the more complex and symbolic films of 2006, but where it succeeds it also fails. Director Alejandro
González Iñárritu is also a victim of his own success.
After the highly charged and emotional 21 Grams , I had huge expectations for Babel , and the movie simply doesn''t live up to them. Good, yes. Very good, yes. But beyond that, Babel struggles to connect all the pieces.
Babel has a lot of things going for it. Iñárritu''s direction is marvelous, and he ties what is essentially an ensemble story into a cohesive, rhythmic beast. The thematic properties of the project pulse in every aspect of the film, and the actors elevate themselves to meet the material. The movie is sad without being tragically depressing, though it''s hard to watch two young boys'' lives being destroyed for a stupid mistake, or a Mexican maid''s future spiraling out of control.
Interestingly, the two other key stories are less interesting. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett''s tale of a couple stranded in a remote Moroccan village, as the wife struggles to survive, is good but not emotionally overpowering. This segment plays out more like a romance than a commentary on our times. At the same time, the story of a deaf-mute Japanese girl who is trying to come to grips with her sexuality is the most unique of the group, but Oscar-nominated Rinko Kikuchi''s character is the most difficult to connect to, and strangely, the hardest to sympathize with. That''s not to say that Kikuchi does not do a terrific job, but her story works more on a thematic level than on a storytelling one.