Quickies

Babel

Alejandro González Iñárritu's recent depiction into the morose connectivity of us all brings up a lot of seemingly important and timely questions without ever truly answering any of them. Though technically beautifully crafted, Iñárritu's story of the intertwining lives surounding the attack of an American tourist (Blanchett) in Morocco and the subsequent search for understading loses its impact simply because it tries too hard. Instead of being a subtle foray into the paradox of lost communication in a time of universal similarity, Babel gets bogged down by a hit-you-over-the-head simplicity that has doomed other films such as The Woodsman to mediocrity.

The acting is superb and the diretion to match, but nothing can make up for the script that tries too hard. Yes, we get that we don't understand each other any more, but what more can the film offer other than that all too obvious assertion? Ultimately, the most interesting storyline, Rinku Kikuchi's brilliantly crafted deaf-mute character, seems to be the least involved with any of the film's other major players. Sure, she acts as the only representation of someone who literally cannot communicate her words or emotions, but it remains unclear if Babel is a story that uses one event as a microcosm for a larger issue, or one event plus a random person.

It could not have been crafted more beautifully with its precise direction, emotionally draining acting, and haunting score, but Babel falls apart, ironically, in it's overcommunication.

Grade: C+