2008 Woodie Awards
'Babel' out on DVD
The Mistakes of Man
Aaron Phillips
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Babel begins when a Moroccan goat herder buys a rifle from a distant neighbor to protect the animals from predators.
He puts his sons (Said Tarchani, Boubker Ait El Caid) in charge when he leaves. As would be expected of any child, the boys behave irrationally.
When out with the goats, the boys test the rifle's distance and aim at a bus, accidentally shooting an American tourist (Cate Blanchett).
Her husband (Brad Pitt) frantically searches for help in a small village hours away from a hospital while governmental red tape keeps a helicopter from coming to help.
Meanwhile, the other tourists on the bus grow weary and abandon the couple in the village.
Back in America, the couple's children (Elle Fanning and Nathan Gamble) are watched by their Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza), who is worried she will miss her son's wedding in Mexico because the couple has not returned.
She decides against her better judgment and takes the children with her to Mexico, catching a ride with her nephew (Gael Garcia Bernal).
The wedding is pleasant, but again the nanny has a lapse in judgment and trusts the nephew to drive them back after the wedding on claims he isn't too drunk to drive.
After a tense meeting at the border, the nephew breaks loose into the country and drops his aunt and the children in the desert as he tries to shake the heat.
The connection in Africa and America are clear, but loosely tied to the story is that of deaf mute teen Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) in Tokyo.
Her mother has died recently, and she has trouble connecting with her caring but distant father (Koji Yakuso).
She turns to trouble, as many teens do, but still feels like an outcast because of her inability to communicate with mainstream society.
The story line is not cut and dried and unfolds in an odd time frame. The film requires attentiveness, which pays off in its final minutes as all the gaps are bridged.
Babel shows the mistakes man often makes and the usually unforgiving consequences people must pay.
The film does not reach the level of masterpiece, but it should be seen.
It was released Feb. 20 on DVD and is available at retail outlets that sell or rent DVDs.
Babel is rated R for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including both Bernal and Kikuchi for Best Supporting Actress, and won one, for its music score.
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