Babel (2006)
Human connection has no cultural bounds.
Presentation:
Iñarritu implements his signature style of interconnecting stories of humanity, this time from vastly different cultures. It’s much more polished as the 4 stories are more seamlessly interwoven as opposed to one arc followed by another in Amores Perros. All stories could be a film by itself and each is extremely riveting. The cinematography is also improved though still uses handheld and deliberate framing especially toward the beginning. Then it focuses on the story as to not distract us visually.
Conclusion:
The film explores humanity with such a fresh voice. This is a film that either hits or misses completely. I felt the connection and human intimacy but I can imagine many people that won’t understand the cinematic language of Iñarritu. Where Terrence Malick fails, Iñarritu succeeds in portraying the human condition.
Recommendations
How did black and white ever fall out of fashion?