Babel (10/10)

2006
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Brad Pitt
Cate Blanchett
Gael Garcia Bernal
Rinko Kikuchi

Easily one of the greatest films of our generation. Babel comes from the same director as "21 grams" which again I have unfortunately not seen, but if this movie can be taken as any indication, I need to see it immediately. Babel is the story of a bullet and how it affects the entire world, but the values found in this movie run so incredibly deep, I can hardly understand it all. Before I go any further, may I just say that the best thing to do is stop reading this and go watch the film, and learn from it whatever you will, rather than listen to me blather on about it. Because this film is definitely worth it.

I'm not going to go into the plot, because you need to be watching it right now. But I will say this film covers everything from love in tragedy to teenager lust to coping with death to the idea that one small mistake can change everything to the idea that we are all ultimately connected to post 9/11 racism and paranoia to suicide to being viewed as different and acceptance and ultimately shows the vast gaps that we experience between each other; how little we understand one another, whether we have never met or have spent our entire lives together, ultimately pointing to the title, referring to the complete and totaly divergence of language and communication. Language is the only thing in the history of the world and humanity that has a tendency to diverge rather than converge.

Something I admire so much is how unique each story of the movie is, but yet so powerful. You don't get the feeling that Gonzalez Inarritu is just trying to be pretentious with this storyline, but rather that he feels very strongly about everything you see, and in turn transferring that feeling to you. The sountrack is incredible, the cinematography is very earthy but also clever; the movie is just gorgeous. And the settings are so beautiful as well. Go rent it. Go buy it. Now.