Babel
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 21.01.07It is the sad tale of language barriers and misunderstanding; a global loneliness. Babel was a limited release almost a month ago, but I was finally able to find it in a smaller theater in Cincinnati. Not quite art-house, but far from mainstream, there are a lot of films I’ll have to see in the coming months.
It’s hard to write a review of Babel without referencing Crash, as the films could almost be part of a series on the human condition. Using the same storytelling style, Babel introduces multiple storylines woven together with little overt connection, not even a strict timeline. While the interplay’s begin to make sense, and some of the relationships are clear at the start, we don’t get the strong culmination that Crash had. There is no sweeping redemption of a character, but rather the quiet relief of openness. Emotional, spiritual, physical nakedness, the storyline of the blind and mute highschool student serves as the physical manifestation of the films themes, and the need for understanding and closeness. She searches for it in sex, hoping that by loosing her virginity, she’ll find healing and acceptance. A husband searches for it in his marriage; falling apart, and badly tattered. Others search merely for a place; as a Nanny becomes lost with her children, and brothers argue in the Moroccan desert. The themes become graphic, offensive, tragic; a grittiness that can make you weep for those in similar tragedy.
And as the film closes, each one finds their way, in one sense or another, home.
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