Title: Babel
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi, Adriana Barraza
Genre: Drama
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Release: (2006)
Babel continued
Was it all your fault? No, not entirely. But was it your decision? Yes, and that the effects of your decisions can reverberate around the globe and return to you again in ways you may never understand, is what Iñárritu demonstrates in only a slightly less brilliant way in Babel than I have here. But, then again, Iñárritu is from Mexico and I’m from America, so it’s not really fair to compare him to me. I mean, I think it’s just understood that whenever we talk about all the ways that humans are interdependent on each other, despite any superficial differences they may have or political systems they may concoct, that we mean everyone except America. As a people, we’re just smarter and taller than everyone else, so we really don’t need anyone’s help with anything. And as a nation, we all know our decisions don’t have consequences, unless you count all that extra prosperity and freedom we leave littered in our wake.
But for those other people in the world, I just hope that films like this can provide some small spark in their minds to step back every now and then and take a look at the bigger picture. To see that they’re all really in it together, that the sum of their differences is nothing compared to the sum of what they share, and that soccer is stupid. To help them realize this before it’s too late, and there is no one left on Earth except us Americans and our hilarious t-shirts.
Grading
Story: A
Acting: A
Visuals: B+
Originality/Innovation: A
Enjoyability: A-
Overall: A
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