“Babel” is a film about four lives, and the bullet that connects them. Alejandro González Iñárritu directs a story that moves across three continents and four separate threads, each one following a different family. The film asks a simple question: how far does one act ripple out? The answer, by the time the credits roll, is very far indeed.
Trailer, via Paramount Movies.
Four Threads, One Bullet
The story opens in Morocco, where a rifle is fired at a group of tourists. That shot kills a man named Richard, played by Brad Pitt, and sets off a chain reaction. His wife, Kate Winslet’s Susan, is left to grieve while her daughter, played by Adriana Barraza, tries to make sense of what happened. Meanwhile, in Mexico, a young boy named Oday, played by Gael García Bernal, finds himself caught up in a border crossing gone wrong. And in Japan, a deaf woman, played by Rinko Kikuchi, faces a tragedy of her own.
A Long Story
“Babel” runs over three hours, and it asks a lot of patience from the viewer. The film is patient, letting each thread breathe before bringing them together. That patience is also its weakness. Some stretches feel stretched thin, with scenes that could have been tighter without losing meaning.
The Cast Holds It Together
The performances carry the film through its slower patches. Winslet gives Susan a quiet, controlled grief that anchors the whole picture. Bernal brings a restless energy to Oday, making him feel alive even as he moves through danger. Kikuchi’s performance is quieter still, a portrait of isolation that lands with real force.
The Morocco Shooting
The opening scene, where the rifle is fired, is tense and well-made. It sets the tone for everything that follows. The film trusts the audience to follow the logic of its plot, even when it jumps from one country to another without warning.
Where It Falls Short
Not every thread lands with the same force. The Mexican subplot, involving the boy and his family, is the weakest link. It drags in places, and the payoff feels smaller than the others. The film’s ambition sometimes exceeds its execution, particularly in its middle stretch.
The Sound Design
Sound plays a large role in “Babel.” Silence carries as much weight as speech, especially in the Japanese scenes. The film’s use of sound is one of its strongest elements, and it helps sell the emotional beats that the plot occasionally undersells.
A Rough Timeline
| Event | Location |
|---|---|
| Rifle fired in Morocco | Morocco |
| Boy crosses the border | Mexico |
| Deaf woman’s tragedy | Japan |
Ranking the Threads
- The Moroccan thread — the most tightly constructed and emotionally resonant.
- The Japanese thread — the most isolated and moving, but also the most distant from the other stories.
- The Mexican thread — the weakest link, with the least satisfying payoff.
Final Score
“Babel” is a film of highs and lows, with a cast strong enough to pull the weaker moments through. It’s a worthy, though imperfect, attempt at telling a global story with real human stakes. The film’s best scenes stand out, while its lesser scenes drag down the overall experience.
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