Babel (2006)

Director: Alejandro Inarritu

Writer: Guillermo Arriaga, from an idea by Alejandro Inarritu and Guillermo Arriaga

Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Boubker Ait Al Caid, Adriana Barraza, Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, Rinko Kikuchi, Koji Yakusho



Four stories play out in the US, Japan, Morroco, and Mexico, all connected by the careless act of a child with a weapon and compounded by cultural ignorance. 



Each story features an act of cross-cultural interference that results in tragedy, but these interferences are made without malice and are presented in an understanding manner by director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his screenwriter, Guillermo Arriaga.

 


It may have been irresponsible for the Japanese hunter (Koji Yakusho) to leave a high-powered rifle behind in Morocco, but he only wanted to show his appreciation. 



(Rinko Kikuchi really earns her Oscar nomination in this part of the film.)

 


It was foolish for the young Moroccan boy (Boubker Ait El Caid) to fire at the tourist bus, but it was so far away; how could he know that he would hit it? 



It may seem like the height of privilege for the American on vacation (Brad Pitt) to demand that his undocumented nanny (Adriana Barraza) stay with the children (Elle Fanning and Nathan Gamble) beyond the time agreed to, but his wife (Cate Blanchett) had just been shot and what else could he do?

 


It was a very poor decision for the nanny to take the children across the border, but she didn’t want to miss her son’s wedding, and surely the children would be safe with her family.

 


In this film, terms like First World and Third World are set aside—all are equal in their capacity for tragedy.
















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