I watched Babel a few weeks ago, and I always felt that it was not as good as I thought, and I always felt that some chapters could be improved. However, the evaluation on imdb is very good, and it is also regarded as a strong contender for the Oscar next year. I admit that it does achieve the same effect as CRASH on the conflict of photographs-one after another, the typical dramatic technique, the relationship between the characters is not so complicated, but the conflict mainly revolves around a few characters. In addition, it is echoed by the regional customs and delicate world situation, which should be the favorite taste of the Academy Award Committee.
After all, this movie is a series of linguistic conflicts.
Location 1: Morocco
Characters: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, local tour guide, local people, tour group members.
The causes of conflict: Cate shot in
story context: In order to aid his wife in exchange for time, Brad had to listen to the views of tour guides, tour buses and everyone went to the home of the nearest tour the crash site, where he can call To family and embassy. The people in the village are all dressed up in the Middle East. They were surprised to see the white tourists showing their faces. The white people who didn’t understand the language were very panicked. In such a village where there are almost all adobes, everyone’s costumes and TV shows. There is no difference between the terrorists. The people in the tour group asked to leave immediately. But Brad's phone call did not immediately call the helicopter, he became angry, frightened, and even desperate.
Location 2: Morocco
Characters: husband and wife and a family of 4 sons, hawker,
cause of conflict: buying a gun
Story context: The younger son's marksmanship is obviously better than that of his brother, and the father hopes that they can kill the wolves who have invaded the sheep. In order to verify the hawker's words, the two brothers competed on the top of the mountain, hoping that the rifle could reach a range of 3 kilometers.
Location: Tokyo
Characters: high school mute girl, father, police officer, a group of idle teenagers.
Conflict: The mute girl is looked down upon because of language, although there is no shortage of friends, but lack of love
Story context: The mother committed suicide prematurely, and the girl was very sensitive; and her father's careless peace made her join a group of teenagers who pursued sensory stimulation, dreaming of death in the ballroom, and finding happiness in drugs. Her life was changed by a young police officer who came to investigate her father.
Location: Santiago, Mexico Border
People: Two brothers and sisters (Brad's children), nanny, nanny's nephew, border police.
Cause of conflict: In order to attend the wedding of the son in Mexico, the nanny had to take the children away from Santiago because of the child's His parents are deeply trapped in Morocco, and Cate is still receiving treatment. On the way back to the United States late at night, her nephew, who was drunk, ignored the request of the border police to stop him and forced
him through the border.
Dumb girl father shotgun villager hawker father and son Cate, Brad brother and sister nanny
actually conflicts do not come from direct conflicts between characters, but use language differences, cultural misunderstandings, and clan barriers to show the drama conflict throughout the story. Although drama conflicts in the traditional sense inevitably originate from or bring character conflicts, the conflict that Babel wants to express is more than simple character conflicts.
So when one biblical story-"Tongtian Pagoda" is enough, why weave several clues of parallel development? Because the story of Tongtian Tower is too familiar to everyone, using a modern, seemingly intricate story, and making it possible to bring a variety of exotic customs and cultural imprints, may be more able to attract the attention of the discerning college committee.
In this way, it is not to say that this is not a good movie, but it is just a good movie that has not surpassed the imagination.
When it reflects cultural conflicts and clan conflicts, it only uses language barriers to make a big package. The internal conflicts depend on the conflicts and inertial complexes in the hearts of the audience.
The inner conflict of the audience itself comes from the experience of different audiences, the so-called Hamlet in the eyes of a thousand people. Among the films I have watched this year, there are also Borat and Judgment with the concept of clan. There is only one thing that different movies want to pay attention to: racial discrimination has not been eliminated, but because of some accidents or the power of some countries, it has become more paranoid. Borat's ridicule of Jews, if it is only from the perspective of Kazakhs, then you are wrong, if it is from the perspective of Americans to ridicule backward countries, you are even more wrong. The lead actor is a Jew, just as one of the main creators of "South Park" is also a Jew. With this amulet, they can laugh at everything to their heart's content. Even people who ridicule themselves can even say that they are racists. NS? Judgment tells about the "sitting" that the Republic of Yemen encountered after 9/11-because of the same beliefs, the same culture, and the same attire, they were regarded as terrorists.
The white people's panic in Babel seems to be justified: the catastrophe of 9/11 is a pain that can never be calmed; the self-reliance of the citizens of the most developed countries in the face of poverty and backwardness, but exploded into fear and nervousness. Even Cate, a well-educated woman, is scrupulous when drinking water, for fear of unclean ice. These worries, or fears, are rooted in their zero or negative understanding of the Middle East (it is inevitable for the government to be aloof and arrogant when promoting other countries or other races.)
So what about the same language and the same background?
After being shot in Cate, the white man in the same car did not live with their husband and wife, but instead looked for an opportunity to leave the village full of "terrorists" as soon as possible. The communication between the mute girl and her peers is restricted by language; even if the people around her understand sign language, she is still regarded as inferior. Her strong desire to be loved, and her desire for boys, turned into a strong vengeance: making fun of boys who look down on her. At the same time, she was in pain under the shameful condemnation. In the process of searching for the rifle, the Morocco police combined their fist with the villagers and the father and son. They were rude and reckless and clearly wrote out the self-evident hierarchy of the world. How about a clear language? "Lost in Tokyo" tells of the old man who is looking for a spiritual partner in the confusion of language, but he has not returned to his wife to live the same life. Without understanding and respect, language is even more superfluous; instead of a world of chattering, it is a world of silence and speechlessness.
If the experience of Cate and Brad in Morocco is the betrayal of the triumphant white people in the Muslim world, the help of the aliens, then their pair of sons and daughters suffered from the torture of the American system in the 24 hours they spent in Mexico. The bridge in Mexico is the simple life of a group of people who are not "noble" but extremely happy: dancing to the heart, singing happily, accompanied by fine wine, and festive weddings, everything is completely exotic. Although the backwardness and cultural differences here (bloodly killing chickens in front of children, indulging children to drink) brings Culture Shock to children, it meets the simple happiness needs of children. From the perspective of protecting American citizens, the border police made a judgment based on the system: the nanny’s nephew and the nanny tried to kidnap two American citizens for profit. The children suffered so much, and the nanny who loved them so much could not escape the fate of being sent back to their hometown. In another movie, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada also reflects on the attitude towards Mexicans from the American perspective.
However, this is how the world is. Without cultural differences, it would not be enough to become a diversified world; North America, which claims to build a multiculturalism, often slaps its own mouth. The Declaration of Human Rights, racial equality, and respect for the individual, if it can be done, people will probably not try movies, books, music and other methods to reinterpret the legend of the Tongtian Pagoda, right? The tower was not built in the end. The Jews paid a bloody price in order to establish their own country. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is still escalating. Is the Gulf garrison maintaining peacekeeping or committing suicide? Countries have criticized each other, and ethnic disputes have continued. Is the thing that keeps arranging and messing up all the time, or is it intrigue?
Having seen Babel, everyone can find the theme they want in it. But its excessive pursuit of largeness and completeness also made the film lose a little sincerity and credibility.
View more about Babel reviews
