Babel (2006)

Synopsis: Several interconnected stories are told simultaneously. A moroccan peasant buys a rifle to kill the jackals that are eating his goats; a woman on tour in Morocco with her husband is shot; a Mexican housekeeper working in America needs to go to Mexico for her brother's wedding during her bosses' absence; a deaf Japanese adolescent girl is facing an emotional crisis due to lack of affection.
Appraisal: The inherent intensity in these stories are translated into strong images, making for an emotional cliffhanger of sorts; special mentions should be made for the actresses playing 'Amelia' and 'Chieko'. The film has a good thematic cohesion too, being about incommunicability and isolation in a so-called globalized and interconnected society. The fact is, barriers exist, and are getting higher, it seems to imply; some of them are inside us, in our prejudices, and others, which may be reflections of the inner ones, are embedded in the laws that regulate our world. Whatever its degree of success in making that point, it is an ingenious and mostly enjoyable piece of cinematic storytelling. If I don't rate it higher, it is because I think the individual short stories lack depth, although they sure have strong moments in them. Of the characters presented, the only one that made a consistent impression on me was Amelia.
Rating: 67