Babel

[nanco]

Has anyone seen Babel? I saw it today with 3 friends. Very interesting. Great acting with several twists. I do have to say I liked it. Am I dumb, but why is the movie named that? Those that have seen it, what did you think?

[badunnin]

This is one that I wouldn't mind seeing (and I'm not a movie goer!)

I checked imdb for some info on the title: "In Gen. 11:9, the name of Babel is etymologized by association with the Hebrew verb balal, 'to confuse or confound'" (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/babel)..."Babel", through a series of misunderstandings, interweaves the unfortunate circumstances of a Moroccan, an American, a Mexican and a Japanese family."

[nancymaring]

Loved it! Saw it on a whim...Didn't have a clue what it was about, as I don't have a TV and so didn't see the previews. Just picked it out of the line-up from the movie posters on the wall .What a winner! Loved the twists and turns, loved the music (I just bought the soundtrack) loved the filming of the scenery...just an all-over good movie!

cheers...nancy

[honeygirl1971]

I haven't seen it yet but want to do so. My ILs saw it and really liked it. I think I read something about the fact that the Babel name was chosen because there are a lot of different languages spoken in the film, and sometimes no subtitles, so there is a fundamental communicative problem central to the story (characters not understanding each other), experience of watching the film (if you don't understand the language being spoken in a certain scene) etc. So, it's a reference to the tower of Babel....Does that make sense with what you saw?

[nanco]

Nancy, I did like the music too! I will check out the soundtrack.

[Loremma]

I rented this movie and just watched it. I thought it was very well done and acted, but I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire movie. The anticipation of what was going to happen, or might happen, just killed me! I'm exhausted!

btw, the actress who played Brat Pitt's daughter is Dakota Fanning's sister.

[KristiB]

I kept worrying the deaf girl was going to get raped.

[TKay]

This post contains spoilers. Read no further if you don't want to know what happens.
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Okay, I was also in constant anxiety during this movie. The hardest part for me to watch was Amelia with the two kids. I was terrified when they were in the desert and my heart broke when she left them under the bush. I was nearly sick to my stomach. And then, when she wasn't going to get to go back to find them! I nearly turned off the movie. That was painful.
I, too, was sure the deaf girl was going to be raped.
Is it me, or did Brad Pitt resemble George Clooney in that role? Something about the graying temples, I don't know.
Really good--if uncomfortable--movie.

[buffygirl]

I kept worrying the deaf girl was going to get raped.

Ugh, me too. I liked the film, but the part about the deaf girl made me really uncomfortable. (Perhaps that was the point...) The woman who played the nanny was amazing, what a performance!

[Jazzmatazz49]

I was afraid the deaf girl was going to rape somebody.

[JKG]

I thought this was a pretty good movie, not great. It did keep you guessing what was going to happen, but I was a little bored through some parts of it. It was uncomfortable at times to watch. I was disappointed in the overall movie, although the acting was really great.

[KristiB]

Adriana Baraza(who played the Mexican woman) should have won that best supporting actress Oscar over Jennifer Hudson.

She was robbed!

[SusanMac]

I liked the movie, but really liked Amorres Perros (sp?) better. I found the Mexican nanny storyline to be the least interesting, mainly b/c it was predictable. The Japanese deaf girl could have been a movie in and of itself. Her performance really blew away the nanny, IMO. But, overall, the entire cast was fabulous. I love it when Brad Pitt takes great roles (a lot of his movies are really simple). The 2 Morroccan brothers storyline was the one that broke my heart!

Yes, the movie was totally named after the tower of Babel. I haven't read that anywhere, but it totally makes sense to me.

Question - What do you think the Japanese girl wrote in the letter to the detective at the end??

Also...we're slowing renting the Oscar movies as they come out on DVD. While I liked this movie, Half Nelson was even better. Wow, what a powerful & disturbing movie. Both movies have left me thinking about them for several days, which is cool.

[Peggy]

Adriana Baraza(who played the Mexican woman) should have won that best supporting actress Oscar over Jennifer Hudson.

She was robbed!

I agree! But I also thought the deaf Japanese girl did an outstanding job.

Peggy

[KristiB]

I liked the movie, but really liked Amorres Perros (sp?) better. !

While I liked this movie, Half Nelson was even better. Wow, what a powerful & disturbing movie. Both movies have left me thinking about them for several days, which is cool.

Loved Amorres Perros! I recently read the book too.

Half Nelson a good movie!!

I have a friend who teaches school in a poor neighborhood and she HATES uplifting "teacher movies like Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers and Mr Hollands Opus. She even snarked through Akeelah and the Bee-which I loved.

She says that these types of movies teach people that teachers are failures unless they sacrifice their entire lives to their career.

I told her to rent Half Nelson.