My thoughts on the movie BABEL
(Be warned, this could be a spoiler for those intending to watch the film!)
(Be warned, this could be a spoiler for those intending to watch the film!)
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi.
Watched this show yesterday and was very intrigued, though somewhat disturbed because it draws our attention to some very disconcerting issues in life.
What I do applaud is how Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (acclaimed director of "Amores Peros" in 2000--an international arthouse hit that won the Bafta for Best Foreign Language Film, and "21 Grams" in 2003 starring Naomi Watts), intricately but logically wove together four very distinct experiences into a common theme of sorrow and chance.
And so my thoughts on the four stories:
1. The tragedy of the Morroccan family
In brief, two young shepherd boys happen to shoot an American tourist in a coach that gets the whole world thinking that the terrorists have struck again. What amused me was the fact that in recent times the world has become so attuned to the word "Terrorism" that everything that involves the loss or damage of life and property (esp where different nationalities are involved) becomes rapidly associated with terrorists.
2. The couple whose marriage was on the rocks
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play the American couple implicated in the shooting. Blanchett's Susan Jones is the unfortunate tourist who got shot on the bus. Pitt struggles to get her medical aid in a remote village. This story taught me two things: (1) major crises pull people together (except for those wretched tourists who refused to lend a hand and behaved in a self-centred manner!); and (2) it's okay to pee in your pants (in front of your husband) when you are really ill and you can't hold it back!
Watched this show yesterday and was very intrigued, though somewhat disturbed because it draws our attention to some very disconcerting issues in life.
What I do applaud is how Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (acclaimed director of "Amores Peros" in 2000--an international arthouse hit that won the Bafta for Best Foreign Language Film, and "21 Grams" in 2003 starring Naomi Watts), intricately but logically wove together four very distinct experiences into a common theme of sorrow and chance.
And so my thoughts on the four stories:
1. The tragedy of the Morroccan family
In brief, two young shepherd boys happen to shoot an American tourist in a coach that gets the whole world thinking that the terrorists have struck again. What amused me was the fact that in recent times the world has become so attuned to the word "Terrorism" that everything that involves the loss or damage of life and property (esp where different nationalities are involved) becomes rapidly associated with terrorists.
2. The couple whose marriage was on the rocks
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play the American couple implicated in the shooting. Blanchett's Susan Jones is the unfortunate tourist who got shot on the bus. Pitt struggles to get her medical aid in a remote village. This story taught me two things: (1) major crises pull people together (except for those wretched tourists who refused to lend a hand and behaved in a self-centred manner!); and (2) it's okay to pee in your pants (in front of your husband) when you are really ill and you can't hold it back!
3. The Mexican nanny who almost died in the dessert
Because the couple were away and there was no one to care for their children, the Mexican nanny had no choice but to bring the kids back to her hometown in Mexico so that she could attend her son's wedding. I won't reveal the ending to that. What I can say was that this story exposed me to the rich culture of Mexico--their weddings, the way kids were socialised--but also the fear and stigma the Americans had toward this group of hispanics. The story also touched on how dozens of illegal immigrants die in the dessert in their attempt to cross the border into the so-called land of the free to live the American dream.
4. The Japanese girl who was deaf and mute
This story was particularly disturbing for me because she stripped naked and exposed herself at various points of the show. It was really tragic the way she degraded herself in her struggle for affection and desire for acceptance. The girl, though sweet-looking, faced rejection by guys her age, and turned to inappropriate means of seducing other men like her dentist and a police detective. How does this story link? The girl's father was the hunting enthusiast who gave the shot gun to a Morroccan who in turn sold it to the Morroccan family with the two young boys.
Amazing how everything links!
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