Babel (2006)

4.9/5

This is one of the most richly tapestried movies to show up in theaters this year, in plot, acting, and theme. The emotions, as in every Iñárritu movie, are explosive. Iñárritu really lets his actors give it their all. Layers upon layers of themes run rampant throughout, the main one being: miscommunication causes tragedy (à la Camus's famous Le Malentendu). But when that tragedy strikes, sadness is universal, heard loud and clear through silence. The story of the Japanese girl seems particularly out of place given the rest of the movie's plot, but it is only superficially so. Not only does it fit the main theme to a T, it also generates so many other themes (baring body vs. soul, being unable to hear vs. being unable to understand, distance and proximity, family and strangers, redemption and forgiveness, and many more) that I can see why Iñárritu decided to use it. By the way, the music is phenomenal. Its companion use with silence is so utterly devastating and haunting.

This movie is definitely not for everyone. It's an intense viewing experience and difficult to dissect; but such analysis is utterly necessary after watching this movie. Many will forgo trying to understand some parts and simply discard what made them uncomfortable because it's easier that way. Scenes often extend past their utility, forcing the viewer to question its meaning. That is not, however, an excuse for bad editing and overlong scenes, which Babel is not without. The coincidences and chain reactions sometime seem too constructed and planned for, a guilt similarly structured movies (like Crash) share. A lot of people are going to come into this movie expecting something similar to Crash; they are going to be very disappointed. Babel is hard to digest; its message isn't cookie-cutter simple and superficial or obvious. But for those it reaches, it's magnificent.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0449467/

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

2/5

This is a pretty boring movie. The worst part is that it tricks you into thinking you're seeing a good movie because of its meditative pace. Scenes last so long, you ask yourself, Am I missing something? Nope, that's all there is. I wonder if it is Guillermo Arriaga who writes the script in flashback-mode or just Tommy Lee Jones' interpretation of it, but the nonlinear storyline really did not help the movie at all; it only hindered our understanding of it and took away from the power of the plot. The same thing happened in 21 Grams (also written by Arriaga). There seems to be something manipulative about introducing the past only after it is mentioned in the present instead of already having it shown and having the audience remember it. It's like baby-feeding and so the audience doesn't feel involved in or attached to the movie. In addition, there were a lot of unanswered questions that arose because of either curious/bizarre acting or unexplained plot twists. The plot wasn't very compelling and the end was neither sensational nor redemptive; it just stopped. In my eyes, this movie was all the bad stuff that didn't make the cut for Amores Perros and 21 Grams.

I liked the characters and how almost all of them were fleshed out by being involved in the plot after being introduced as side characters (like in The Station Agent, but not done as well). Some of the dialogue was pretty good, but I know that Guillermo Arriaga can do much much better. Some of the cinematography was absolutely mesmerizing, but that also took away from the story because it focused on the landscapes for too long.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419294/

The Hire: Powder Keg (2001)

5/5

My favorite short film of all time. Iñárritu, always a master of emotions and tensions, shines in this short. The script is mind-blowing, and the actors delivering the lines are equally spectacular. Every word that is uttered is essential, every sentence integral, growing more depth the further into the film you go. It seems as if every extraneous word was stripped from the script and put on the film as an image, which is exactly the point of cinema.

--"So why are you a photographer?"
--"I don't know, I don't know. Because my mother taught me to see."

When you reach the end, the words have taken on a new meaning completely. The film covers so many topics in so little time so flawlessly that we feel so fulfilled when the credits roll after only ten minutes. The choice of cinematography, editing, and music was precise and necessary to evoke the proper mood; and they were carried out with just as much precision.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0285930/