Themes: Intersecting Lives, Servants and Employers, Nightmare Vacations
Main Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Adriana Barraza, Koji Yakusho
Release Year: 2006
Country: US
Run Time: 142 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The tragic aftermath of human carelessness travels around the world in this multi-narrative drama from filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) are a couple from the United States who have traveled to Morocco in Northern Africa on a vacation after the death of one of their children has sent Susan into a deep depression. Richard and Susan's other two children have been left in the care of Amelia (Adriana Barraza), their housekeeper. Amelia is originally from Mexico, and her oldest son is getting married in Tijuana. Unable to find someone who can watch the kids, or to obtain permission to take the day off, Amelia takes the children with her as she travels across the border for the celebration. Around the same time, in Morocco a poor farmer buys a hunting rifle, and he gives it to his sons to scare off the predatory animals that have been thinning out their goat herd. The boys decide to test the weapon's range by shooting at a bus far away; the shot hits Susan in the shoulder, and soon she's bleeding severely, while police are convinced the attack is the work of terrorists. In Japan, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a teenage deaf-mute whose mother recently committed suicide. This despairing, confused girl experiences such rage and frustration that she causes her volleyball team to lose a match, and later yanks her underwear off and begins exposing herself to boys in a crowded restaurant. Chieko's father then struggles to reach past the emotional distance which separates him and his daughter. Babel earned Alejandro González Iñárritu the prize for Best Director at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Said Tarchani - Ahmed; Boubker Ait El Caid - Yussef; Elle Fanning - Debbie; Nathan Gamble - Mike; Mohamed Akhzam - Anwar; Peter Wight - Tom; Abdelkader Bara - Hassan; Mustapha Rachidi - Abdullah; Driss Roukhe - Alarid; Clifton Collins, Jr. - Officer at Border Crossing; Robert Esquivel - Luis; Michael Peña - John Border Patrol; Yuko Murata - Mitsu; Satoshi Nikaido - Kenji
Credit
Corinne Golden Weber - Associate Producer, Francine Maisler - Casting, Ann Ruark - Co-producer, Sebastian Silva - First Assistant Director, Alejandro González Iñárritu - Director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon - Second Unit Director, Stephen Mirrione - Editor, Douglas Crise - Editor, Gustavo Santaolalla - Composer (Music Score), Brigitte Broch - Production Designer, Rodrigo Prieto - Cinematographer, Steve Golin - Producer, Jon Kilik - Producer, Alejandro González Iñárritu - Producer, Brigitte Broch - Set Designer, Jose Antonio Garcia - Sound/Sound Designer, Chris Minkler - Sound/Sound Designer, Martin Hernandez - Sound/Sound Designer, Jon Taylor - Sound/Sound Designer, Guillermo Arriaga - Screenwriter, Alejandro González Iñárritu - From Idea By, Guillermo Arriaga - From Idea By
