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| Content | | | | Babel (2006) | Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi
Richard and Susan are a couple from San Diego, California who are vacationing in Morocco while their two children are at home with their Mexican housekeeper, Amelia. A rifle finds its way into the hands of a local herdsman`s young son`s, who recklessly take a shot at a tour bus and hit Susan in the shoulder, causing her severe injury. The distraught Richard calls home to tell Amelia of the situation, who shortly departs for Mexico to attend her sons wedding, with Richard and Susan`s children in tow. Disaster thus multiplies, with the situation in Morocco ascribed to terrorists in the media, while Amelia meets with trouble at the Mexican border when she attempts to return to San Diego with Richard and Susan`s children. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a widower tied to the rifle in question, a complex shift of ownership to which the audience is privy, attempts to deal with the memories of his recently deceased wife and his strained relationship with his deaf teenage daughter.
In the Bible, the name of Babel is etymologized by association with the Hebrew verb "balal”, which means to confuse or confound. Although the fates of the characters are connected across the continents, they fail to overcome misunderstandings or linguistic barriers. Rinko Kikuchi`s performance as the Japanese teenager who despite actually being deaf-mute almost screams for attention is outstanding.
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