Babel

Dir: Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Adriana Barraza, Koji Yakusho
USA, 2006

Seen: February 4, 2007 at Carlton

Reason to see: numerous Oscar nominations as well as plus the heat was off in my apartment so wanted to stay out of the house. Also, this is week 7b/52 of my third attempt for #7 on my 101 list: See 1 film a week in the theatre for a year.

I'm starting to think that having films about 'intersecting storylines' will be seen as a sign of the times. Not that it can't be done well. I did enjoy Babel, but I wonder what it would have been like to see the stories seperately instead of together. They are all interesting and show different aspects of human nature and relationships. Strong stories and strong acting make a solid film, and I felt Rinko Kikuchi performance was a real stand out, and a well deserved nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the Oscar's.

Oddball trivia: I was trying to place where I had seen Koji Yakusho from during every scene he was in. Mystery solved, he was in Shall We Dance / Shall we dansu?

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I would watch it again
I'd recommend it

10 minutes of pre-show including 1 commercial and 4 previews (The Page Turner, The Aura, Partition, Venus)

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2007