Babel (2006)

Three thumbs up.

Hermes: Everyone in this movie seems to be speaking a different language. No one understands each other. It's the disease of today's tense global village: miscommunication. Thumbs up.

Asklepios: And how do we cure that disease? The sick once flocked to my temples in search of healing dreams. But what dream can I send for this one? At least Babel correctly diagnoses the problem. Thumbs up.

Dionysos: But isn't the problem depicted here more than miscommunication? It's also frustrated passion, which soon turns destructive. If Athena were here, I'm sure she'd also point out a political allegory to do with 9-11 and attitudes toward Muslims. But above and beyond any "message," this film is just plain beautiful. I was awestruck by the Tokyo night scenes. Thumbs up.

Babel deftly interweaves multiple storylines. An American couple who no longer relate to each other travel to Morocco in an attempt to save their marriage, only to find themselves more isolated than ever. Meanwhile, two Pakistani shepherd boys test their manhood against the faceless enemy of Western tourism--a coming-of-age with tragic consequences. Back in the states, a housekeeper goes against the wishes of her white bosses in order to attend her son's wedding in Mexico. And half a world away, a deaf Japanese girl struggles to become a woman in a world that ignores her.
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Boubker Ait El Caid, Said Tarchini, Adriana Barraza, Gael García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Koji Yakusho
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 68% fresh
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DID YOU KNOW? The common symbol of modern medicine, a serpent-entwined staff, was first carried by Asklepios, the legendary physician who became a god.