Introduction
Babel is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that explores the complex interconnectedness of the globalized world. Through the intersecting stories of four different groups of people from Morocco, Mexico, Japan, and the United States, the film paints a poignant picture of the moral responsibilities and cultural differences that divide society and how individual actions can have unintended consequences on others.
Critical Review
One of the movie’s central themes is the idea of cultural misunderstanding and how human assumptions and prejudices can lead to conflict and tragedy. In the Moroccan storyline, Yussef accidentally shoots an American tourist. This action causes a chain reaction of events that affect the Moroccan people and those in the Japanese storyline. In the Japanese storyline, a deaf teenage girl named Chieko struggles to communicate with her distant father and is ostracized by her peers due to her disability. These storylines highlight how people’s inability to understand and empathize with others can lead to misunderstandings and, ultimately, suffering.
Another critical theme in the movie is the moral responsibility that comes with privilege and power. In the Mexican storyline, the character of Amelia, a poor nanny who is forced to take her employer’s children on a dangerous journey across the border after the children’s parents cannot travel. Despite the risks involved, Amelia willingly takes on this responsibility out of loyalty and duty to her employer. Similarly, in the American storyline, Susan, a successful businesswoman, struggles to cope with the aftermath of her son’s shooting. Despite her privileged position, Susan cannot overcome the guilt and grief that consumes her, ultimately leading to her isolation and estrangement from her family.
In many ways, Babel can be seen as a microcosm of the globalized world, with its complex web of interconnectedness and its myriad of cultural and moral differences. In this sense, the film can be related to readings on cosmopolitanism, such as Kwame Anthony Appiah’s book “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers.” Appiah’s cosmopolitanism concept emphasizes moral responsibility and how humans can learn from and empathize with others, regardless of their cultural differences (Matiaske, 2008). Similarly, the film’s exploration of the moral obligations and cultural divides within society can also be related to readings on utopia, such as Rutger Bregman’s book “Utopia for Realists.” Bregman’s book discusses how people can create a more equitable world through empathy and understanding, which are also central themes in Babel (Bregman, 2018). Utopia is the idea of a perfect society. The film implies that true utopia is not possible as long as people have cultural differences and misunderstandings. However, it also advocates for people to strive towards a more utopian world by working to understand and respect the cultures and beliefs of others. Thus, the movie raises important questions about cultural differences and the need for empathy and understanding in an increasingly interconnected world.
Conclusion
Babel is a powerful and provocative film that explores society’s moral responsibilities and cultural divides. The movie is not, as expected, about how different cultures inflict cruelty and hate on one another, but instead on how different cultures try to bond but are hindered by their misunderstandings. The film’s intersecting storylines offer a poignant and timely reminder of how human actions can have unintended consequences on others and the importance of understanding and empathy in overcoming our differences. It is a must-see for anyone interested in global ethics and the challenges of living in a multicultural world.
References
Bregman, R. (2018). Utopia for realists. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Matiaske, W. (2008). Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. Management Revue, 19(4), 340.