Babbling about "Babel"

Resty O. very recently posted in his blog about Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-nominated Babel and how he hated it. I, for one, loved it and told him so in that post’s comments section. In reply, he listed his complaints about the film, and though I may disagree with many of them I still respect his opinion. I thought about commenting back and address each of his complaints, but I decided to share instead my post about the film in an Oscar-oriented site:

“Anyone who has watched Amores Perros and 21 Grams might agree with me that González Iñárritu, like most auteurs, is one filmmaker with a clear point of view. Many may find his constant use of non-linear storylines and editing challenging, even annoying to endure. And the fatalistic mood that permeates his films can be a major turn-off to some viewers. But these are all part of his style and also reflect his worldview. Some may accept or reject him and his films as a result, which is all right.

I've always believed that the best films, in one way or another, push the possibilities of cinema as a medium further, and of the Best Picture nominees I've watched so far only Babel qualifies. I think no one will dispute the film's ambition and scope, and González Iñárritu and scriptwriter Guillermo Arriaga should be credited for that. Imagine, four thinly interconnected stories happening in three continents, unfolding in five different languages! That's quite a feat. As the critics have already pointed out, the film's title strongly suggests linguistic miscommunications and misunderstandings, but that's not exactly what Babel is all about. What is it about, really, is how these contribute to disconnections--physical, emotional--between parents and children, in some form or other. We see this in the film: the Moroccan boys withholding information from, even lying to their family and the authorities; the Japanese businessman trying to connect with his deaf daughter who, in turn and in her own way, tries to reach out to other people, and so on. Isn't it any wonder that the director dedicated the film to his children at the end?

True, the insights Babel offers are not really new, but González Iñárritu's filmmaking style presents them in a different way. Granted, his direction is not completely flawless, but given the film's ambition and scope I'm willing to cut him some slack. And of the Best Picture nominees this year Babel is the one that comes across, to me at least, as very "now," reflecting where we were (or are) in 2006. Some may argue that Babel's storylines are outlandish, but the same can be said for many of Pedro Almodovar's movies. The bottomline is that they work, and very compellingly so. Some may disagree with me on this, and that's OK.”

And another Babel-related rave: Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi are very impressive, especially the last two. They really deserve their nominations.