Babel

Babel schwimmt mit Stil auf der Oberfläche. Es ist ihm aber nicht gelungen, unter die Oberfläche zu gehen. Der Inhalt der beiden Haupterzählungen ist halb leer. Die dritte Erzählung hat das größte Potenzial, ihre Verbindung mit den anderen Geschichten funktioniert aber nicht. 21 Gramm habe ich vier Sterne geben, deshalb muss ich hier bei drei Sternen bleiben. Eine schöne visuelle Seite, eine ausgezeichnete stimmungsvolle Musik und gute Schauspieler*innen sind nicht alles. PS: Chieko hätte springen sollen. (28.02.2007)

Iñarritu abandons the time fragmentation of 21 Grams and, as in his first film, tells several intertwining stories. The Mexican episode is probably the weakest, with relatively little emotional impact, while the Japanese one seems to have fallen out of another film, but thanks to the likeable lead actress it’s one of the most enjoyable. Great emotions take place in Morocco, with the story of a shepherd and his sons that escalates with great urgency at the end, while the fate of the injured American woman is gripping in places thanks to the great performances of the central duo Pitt – Blanchett, whose circumstantially forced intimate moments are among the film's strongest. The Moroccan episodes are clearly worth 5*, the other two 3*, but if I had to compare, Iñárritu's previous 21 Grams had much more emotional charge overall, at least for me. (05.02.2007)

Alejandro González Iñárritu stubbornly sticks to the refined style that appealed to so many viewers in his previous two films. I used to be a fan of Amores Perros, but I didn’t like that much the celebrated 21 Grams. I enjoyed Babel less than AP but more than 21 Grams. It’s a mosaic composed of three, and therefore four, stories. If they did away with the one about the whiny Japanese girl, the film would be less than two hours long and I would likely be a little more satisfied. I don’t mean by this that the Japanese story was uninteresting, no, but it’s so distant and with a different atmosphere, and it always distracted me from the dirty desert settings of Mexico and Morocco. Moreover, its connection with the other two stories is only symbolic. (04.08.2011)

What I appreciate about Iñárritu is how he is able to sensitively tell the story of the hardships of an ordinary person. However, it’s also the same plot concept for the third time, which is unfortunate because about halfway through the film moves into the plane of expectation and the inevitable boredom that comes with it. This fact is reinforced by the relatively shallow and detached segment with Richard and Susan and especially the Tokyo segment, which is completely out of context. Fortunately, both are amply compensated by the story of the little Moroccan shooters (the best part of it for me). (04.11.2007)

The authors know what they want to say, and they communicate it clearly, effectively and efficiently, without being embarrassingly literal, emotionally blackmailing or overly exaggerating human fates. (23.02.2007)

Iñárritu reached the peak in his journey through mosaics. I would like to say that he took the best from Amores Perros and 21 Grams and combined them together, but that is not the case. Nonetheless, Babel is still the director's best work. He managed to avoid a bit of the unfortunate confusion from his previous film, endowed all the storylines with emotional richness, and mixed everything in a way that from the first second, for more than two hours, I hardly breathed. And it wouldn't be Iñárritu if there wasn't some message present in his film. Babel almost screams for humanity, solidarity, and help, which in some moments brings tears to the viewer's eyes, while in others simply freezes them. (27.02.2007)

Director Inarritu once again moves in a terrain he knows intimately, bringing several parallel storylines to the screen, which intersect at a certain point and with certain characters. He once again delivers heightened emotions, moral conflicts, clashes of values, and cruel dramas. This time, he also seeks to explore various cultures in a globalized world. Only the story from Tokyo didn't fit into the whole, although I understand that Inarritu couldn't resist incorporating into his film a panoramic shot of Tokyo illuminated by neon lights and thousands of bulbs. This section of the film reminded me more of Atom Egoyan's productions and deserves its own film. Overall, it seemed to me that, unlike his debut film Amores Perros, this film contains less energy and leans more toward beautiful camera shots capturing the rocky Sahara, wedding celebrations in Mexico, or the Nevada desert. However, it is such a visually mesmerizing spectacle that I have no problem awarding it five stars. Inarritu is one of the most talented directors of our time. Overall impression: 90%. (04.07.2010)

Three Stories, or safe betting, for the third time. Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers exactly the same film again, and to some extent, we all fell for it again. Babel is undoubtedly the most artistic film in his career – or at least tries to be in overall composition, intellectual strength, use of music and silent scenes, handheld camera… The three stories are interwoven together in a somewhat simpler and more viewer-friendly form, which does not require such precise timing and sequencing of scenes, or the precision of the editor. Unlike the director's previous film, Babel can be easily understood on the first viewing. The acting is not revolutionary, rather standard, with many impressive scenes and a formal stylization that is appropriately minimalist, with few colors. It is economical, simple, and overall raw, but it feels somewhat clichéd. (17.08.2007)

An ambitious shot in the dark. It has some moral ideas, but they’re wrapped in an insanely lengthy filler that pretends to be an artistic rebellion against the traditional narrative, but it's just a few classically punctuated episodes in an aimless structure. The actors are excellent and some scenes are very strong, but that's not enough. 2 ½*. (06.08.2018)

Alejandro González Iñárritu is a director who is not responsible for so much, definitely not one of those who make at least one film annually. However, his films are still etched into the memories of viewers - they are strong, emotional, and dramatic. No, there is really not much humor in his films, he rather focuses on the more depressing aspects of human life. What he excels at is connecting storylines. He proved this with "Amores Perros" and he succeeded again here. One shot changes everything. It seems like it only changes one life, but in reality, everything changes. Lives that were once led, fall apart. Everyone lives in some world, in a different world, and suddenly it no longer makes sense. How do we deal with it? There is nothing we can do but accept the change. Because then... then it's just damnation. Well, these really aren't films for pleasant evenings with the family. But at least you will take something away from "Babel". And if you're wondering why "Babel", try to think about how many languages are actually spoken here. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/jumper-babel-kung-fu-divocina-miami.html (17.02.2013)

A beautiful film, albeit in the saddest possible way. For the third time, this time across the planet, A.G.I. tells, through incredibly fragile and gritty stories, the hardships, but also the "occasional" joys of life, the prejudices stemming from fear and unwillingness to accept anything that breaks out of the so-called norm, but mainly about the impermanence of life, about how in a mere second, one ill-considered, even unintentional act can overturn and destroy everything we have believed in so far. I have no doubt that Iñárritu has been able (and I hope he will continue to be able) to reach a remarkable number of people from different cultures around the world with his sensitive storytelling and precise direction. Babel is a very worthy conclusion to a loose trilogy, not inferior to Amores Perros or 21 Grams; on the contrary, the way in which the individual stories are connected is, in my opinion, the most mature and cultivated of the three films. (30.10.2009)