Babel
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
4 GOOMBAS
In the Bible, man created a tower so high that it could reach the heavens, and it was only facilitated through a commonality of language and race. To prevent man from reaching the skies, God destroys the tower, the Tower of Babel, gives everyone different languages, and spreads humanity throughout the world. As God crushes the tower, everyone is thrown into a state of confusion. They can no longer communicate with one another and their brothers and sisters sent across the globe to lead a life of their own.
Race, family, and communication; these themes rooted in this biblical tale are prominent throughout this Academy Award Nominated film. There are the two young, Moroccan brothers, both fighting for their father's approval, the Japanese Father who desperately longs for some emotional connection to his deaf, mute, teenage daughter, the American couple who does not know how to cope after the loss of a young baby, and the Mexican nanny, whose responsibility of being a pseudo mother to two upper class, white children conflict with her family ties in Mexico.
This film defines language as something larger than communicative words, it includes human action. The conflicts discussed in this film are all rooted in the idea that actions are never interpreted correctly. The American husband takes his wife to Morocco to take some private time for each other, yet the wife sees it as running away from their problems at home. The shot that wounds her is seen as a terrorist act, when in reality, it was the Moroccan boy showing off to his older brother. One action sets off a chain of reactions that magnify into an event controlled by fear and confusion. Meanwhile, we, as the audience, are frustrated. Why don't they just explain what's going on to each other?! Why can't they just understand!? But that's the point isn't it?
Babel was my pick for the Oscar win. Its type of story-telling may be similar to that of Crash, but its emphasis is completely different. It's about a chain reaction, not a full circle. Look past the cuts and edits to see what this movie is really about; babel.
In the Bible, man created a tower so high that it could reach the heavens, and it was only facilitated through a commonality of language and race. To prevent man from reaching the skies, God destroys the tower, the Tower of Babel, gives everyone different languages, and spreads humanity throughout the world. As God crushes the tower, everyone is thrown into a state of confusion. They can no longer communicate with one another and their brothers and sisters sent across the globe to lead a life of their own.
Race, family, and communication; these themes rooted in this biblical tale are prominent throughout this Academy Award Nominated film. There are the two young, Moroccan brothers, both fighting for their father's approval, the Japanese Father who desperately longs for some emotional connection to his deaf, mute, teenage daughter, the American couple who does not know how to cope after the loss of a young baby, and the Mexican nanny, whose responsibility of being a pseudo mother to two upper class, white children conflict with her family ties in Mexico.
This film defines language as something larger than communicative words, it includes human action. The conflicts discussed in this film are all rooted in the idea that actions are never interpreted correctly. The American husband takes his wife to Morocco to take some private time for each other, yet the wife sees it as running away from their problems at home. The shot that wounds her is seen as a terrorist act, when in reality, it was the Moroccan boy showing off to his older brother. One action sets off a chain of reactions that magnify into an event controlled by fear and confusion. Meanwhile, we, as the audience, are frustrated. Why don't they just explain what's going on to each other?! Why can't they just understand!? But that's the point isn't it?
Babel was my pick for the Oscar win. Its type of story-telling may be similar to that of Crash, but its emphasis is completely different. It's about a chain reaction, not a full circle. Look past the cuts and edits to see what this movie is really about; babel.
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