Whatever...

So, I saw Babel a week ago, and I'm still processing it. Well, it needs to be seen. That's without a doubt. Because its easier, let me say that technically, it's top notch. The cinematoographer and composer, especially, have done very very strong work. The acting is uniformly good. If there is a star in this show, its the editor. Fantastic, controlled, and very very fine. The film is an excellent example of this idea I love about ensemble films: cut so often and so much that the only guide the audience looks to is the director. This is true for Babel; instead of getting attached to any one character, we look to the entire story for the message and Inarritu becomes our guide. I also loved the fact that 5 minutes of screentime have been saved by simply naming the film appropriately. The foundation of the message is in the assumption that the audience knows what the title means.

And now we come to it: I saw it in NYC, at the Times Square movie theatre complex. The place is massive: some five storeys and 25 screens, I mean its HUGE. I walk into the theatre and its mostly full by the time I walk in. Me and about 4 more people are going up and down the stairs looking for a place to sit. Finally I find this empty chair but its loaded with coats and handbags and what not. The woman sitting next to it makes eye contact with me for a brief second and I tried to ask her if the seat was empty and she turned away. Finally, I took the plunge and went down the aisle giving many people the butt-in-the-face treatment and some the crotch-in-the-face. I get there, I politely ask her and she huffs at me, starts removing her stuff and mumbling under her breath. No big deal, I can understand why loosing your extra seat would be a cause for complaint. I kinda hated her at this point but whatever, moving on. Moving On??? WHERE TO? This was an excellent trailer of things to come. Good thing I didn't have a dagger on me coz I definitely would have stabbed her by the end of the film. This woman was a late twenties brat type with a long leather jacket and too much make up and the blonde friend in tow. They just giggled through the whole film, making smart comments and pop-references. SO entirely inappropriate during an emotional and sensitive flick like Babel.

The strength of the film also lay in its power of shutting up ho-wussies like these two women. There were two definite moments when the suspense was so THICK in the cinema hall, any director would have been proud. People were actually sweating... The film features a deaf and mute Japanese character and it was painful to see how insensitive the audience was being towards this character. There was a beautiful (although longer than necessary) montage where we actually try to sink our heads into the head of this girl, try to feel what she must feel being herself and the audience was actually laughing out loud during these moments. There were many a thing the character did when she was surrounded by her friends that also got the audience laughing. It made me very happy to see that the film's message was being lived out. This American audience could not understand that they were laughing at behavior. That's all. American kids do tons of stuff that's "cool" and code for hanging out. Japan has its own code. These are behaviors, not ideas, not thoughts, not arguments, just behavior. Its a different language, its a different grammar. Any audience that is incapable of understanding that shouldn't be watching Babel. I couldn't help thinking what Inarritu would have thought had he been in the audience.

The film talked to us and we talked back to it. It wasn't a life changing experience or anything though: I did think it was trying to live up to a grander idea.... and you could tell that the budget had gotten bigger, even though the ideas were very similar. I love films that don't let me decide what I think of them. Case in point: John Cameron Mitchell's SHORTBUS. Now playing....