Babel
Babel poster
Directed by	Alejandro González Iñárritu
Produced by	Steve Golin Jon Kilik
Written by	Guillermo Arriaga
Starring	Brad Pitt Cate Blanchett Adriana Barraza Gael García Bernal Rinko Kikuchi Kôji Yakusho
Music by	Gustavo Santaolalla
Distributed by	Paramount Vantage
Release date(s)	November 10, 2006 November 15, 2006 January 5, 2007
Running time	142 min.
Country	Mexico
Language	English Spanish Arabic French Japanese Japanese Sign Language Berber
Budget	$25 million USD (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Babel is a 2006 dramatic film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Kôji Yakusho, and Gael García Bernal. The film was first screened at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The movie was also shown to audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Zagreb Film Festival, where it was met with positive reviews. The multinarrative drama will complete Iñárritu's "Death trilogy" that also consists of Amores Perros and 21 Grams. The film opened in selected cities in the United States on October 27, 2006, and went into full release on November 10, 2006. This critically acclaimed film, which stands at 71% Fresh on Rottentomatoes.com, garnered the most Golden Globe nominations for the 2007 Golden Globes. It was nominated for Best Picture - Drama, Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza), Best Supporting Actress (Rinko Kikuchi), Best Screenplay (Guillermo Arriaga), and Best Score (Gustavo Santaolalla). Image File history File links Babel_poster. ... Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963 in Mexico City) is a Mexican film director. ... Steve Golin is founder and CEO of Anonymous Content LLP, a multimedia development, production and talent management company based in Culver City, California. ... Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (b. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Cate Blanchett (born Catherine Élise Blanchett on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ... Adriana Barraza is a Mexican television and movie actress. ... Gael García Bernal, 2005 Gael García Bernal (born November 30, 1978) is a Mexican actor. ... Rinko Kikuchi ), known as Yuriko Kikuchi ) prior to May of 2004, is a Japanese actress. ... Koji Yakusho (役所 広司 Yakusho Kōji) is a Japanese actor. ... Gustavo A. Santaolalla (b. ... Closing logo Paramount Classics is the specialty film division of Paramount Pictures (which in turn is owned by Viacom), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generally those with a more art house feel than films made and distributed by its parent company. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Arabic ( or just ), is the largest member of the family of Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. ... Japanese Sign Language is the sign language most commonly used in Japan. ... The Berber languages (or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963 in Mexico City) is a Mexican film director. ... Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (b. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Cate Blanchett (born Catherine Élise Blanchett on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ... Koji Yakusho (役所 広司 Yakusho Kōji) is a Japanese actor. ... Gael García Bernal, 2005 Gael García Bernal (born November 30, 1978) is a Mexican actor. ... Cannes Film Festival logo. ... Poster for the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Box office at the Manulife Centre The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is widely considered to be one of the top film festivals in the world and is the premiere film festival in North America from which the Oscars race begins. ... Amores perros (Loves a Bitch in some English-speaking markets) is a 2000 Mexican film. ... 21 Grams is a 2003 drama written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Gustavo A. Santaolalla (b. ...

Plot

In a remote location in the desert, in southern Morocco, Hassan sells a Winchester rifle to Abdullah, who gives it to his two teenage boys, Yussef and Ahmed, (played by the local non-professional actors Boubker Ait El Caid and Said Tarchini) who look after their family's herd of goats, to kill jackals preying on the goats. To test it out, they aim from a hill at rocks and later a bus carrying Western tourists as it passes on a highway below. After missing a few times they hit the bus, injuring Susan (Cate Blanchett), an American woman who is travelling with her husband Richard (Brad Pitt) on vacation. Species Canis aureus Canis adustus Canis mesomelas Canis simensis A jackal is any of four small to medium-sized members of the family Canidae, found in Africa and Asia. ... Cate Blanchett (born Catherine Élise Blanchett on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ...

The police roughly question Hassan and beat him and his wife until they confess Abdullah now has the rifle. Later, the two boys confess to their father what they have done. The three flee from the police taking the rifle with them. The police shoot at them, and in ignorance Yussef shoots back. Yussef, who shot Susan earlier, eventually surrenders and confesses, and asks for medical treatment for his brother, who had been shot in the leg and back by the police while attempting to flee.

Richard and Susan were vacationing in Morocco to escape their own marital woes. It appears the sudden death of their infant son, suggested to be SIDS, has caused a strain on their marriage as they cannot communicate their frustration, guilt, and blame to each other. When Susan is hit the bus goes to the nearest village with a doctor. The bus waits some time, but the other passengers demand that it leaves, because the heat is hard to bear, and because of the danger of more attacks. Since Susan cannot travel by bus in her condition, the couple stays behind, together with the bus's tour guide Anwar, to wait for transport to a hospital. Political issues between the US and Morocco prevent quick help, but at last a helicopter arrives. The simplicity of the ordeal, Richard caring for and protecting Susan with the fear of losing her, brings them together. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is any sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant aged one month to one year. ...

In parallel, we see a rebellious deaf-mute Japanese teenage girl, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi), who is traumatized by the recent suicide of her mother and the fact that boys treat her like a monster because of her condition. She has started exhibiting sexually provocative behavior, such as wearing a short skirt and no underpants. She even goes so far as to try to seduce a police detective, Kenji (Satoshi Nikaido), who visits the house to question Chieko's father, Yasujiro (Kôji Yakusho), about his gun. It turns out Yasujiro is an avid hunter who once went hunting in Morocco and gave his rifle to his tour guide, Hassan. Rinko Kikuchi ), known as Yuriko Kikuchi ) prior to May of 2004, is a Japanese actress. ... Koji Yakusho (役所 広司 Yakusho Kōji) is a Japanese actor. ...

We also see Richard and Susan's Mexican nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barraza), taking care of their two young children while the couple is stranded in Morocco. Because of the incident she is forced to take care of the children longer than anticipated. Unable to secure help to care for them, she takes them to her son's wedding in Mexico. Rather than stay the night in Mexico with the children, she decides to make the journey back with her nephew Santiago (Gael García Bernal) who throws caution to the wind and drives whilst intoxicated. At the United States border crossing the vehicle arouses the suspicions of the border guards. Despite having passports, Amelia has no letter of consent from the children's parents allowing her to take them out of the United States, and it is obvious that Santiago is intoxicated. An initial search occurs and then Santiago is told to pull over to an area designated for more intensive inspection. Santiago panics, decides to flee and drives off before the further inspection can occur. He later drops Amelia and the children off in the desert, so he can safely get rid of the police who are in pursuit of the vehicle. He never makes it back, and Amelia and children are left stranded in the desert without food or water. After a day of walking while carrying the children, out of fatigue and necessity - realizing that they all will die if she doesn't get help, Amelia leaves the children behind to find someone, telling them not to move. She eventually finds a U.S. Border Patrol officer, John. To her horror, instead of helping her to find the children, he is more interested in arresting her. After she breaks down into tears out of love for the two children that she raised as her own, John allows her to lead him to where the children were left, but they have wandered away. She is taken back to what appears to be a Border Patrol station, where she is told the children have been found, and that she will be deported from the US for her part in endangering the safety of the children. Her protests that she had been in the US for 16 years and had looked after the children for the duration of their lives does not secure lenient treatment. We see her at the end meeting her son on the Mexican side of the border at the Tijuana crossing, having been removed from the United States. Gael García Bernal, 2005 Gael García Bernal (born November 30, 1978) is a Mexican actor. ... Categories: Stub | U.S. Dept. ...

Auteur controversy

Following completion of principal photography on Babel, director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga had a serious falling out. The dispute centered on the authorship of their previous film, 21 Grams. Arriaga argued that cinema is a collaborative medium, and that both he and González Iñárritu are thus the authors of the films they have worked on together. González Iñárritu claimed sole credit as the auteur of those same films, minimizing Arriaga's contribution to the pictures. As a result of this controversy, González Iñárritu banned Arriaga from attending the 2006 Cannes Film Festival screening of Babel, an act for which the director was severely criticized.[1] Observers believe it is unlikely that the two will work together again. 21 Grams is a 2003 drama written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. ...

Principal cast and characters

Morocco

• Brad Pitt - Richard Jones
• Cate Blanchett - Susan Jones
• Mohamed Akhzam - Anwar
• Boubker Ait El Caid - Yussef
• Said Tarchani - Ahmed
• Chirag Patel - Abdullah
• Abdelkader Bara - Hassan
• Wahiba Sahmi - Zohra

Mexico William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Cate Blanchett (born Catherine Élise Blanchett on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ...

• Adriana Barraza - Amelia
• Gael García Bernal - Santiago
• Elle Fanning - Debbie Jones
• Nathan Gamble - Mike Jones
• Clifton Collins Jr. - Police Officer at Mexican border
• Michael Peña - Off. John

Japan Adriana Barraza is a Mexican television and movie actress. ... Gael García Bernal, 2005 Gael García Bernal (born November 30, 1978) is a Mexican actor. ... Elle Fanning (born Mary Elle Fanning on April 9, 1998 in Conyers, Georgia) is an American child actress. ... Clifton Collins Jr. ... Michael Peña as Will Jimeno in Oliver Stones World Trade Center. ...

• Rinko Kikuchi - Chieko
• Kôji Yakusho - Yasujiro
• Satoshi Nikaido - Detective Kenji

Rinko Kikuchi ), known as Yuriko Kikuchi ) prior to May of 2004, is a Japanese actress. ... Koji Yakusho (役所 広司 Yakusho Kōji) is a Japanese actor. ...

Awards and nominations

• Cannes Film Festival:
  • Won: Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu)
  • Won: François Chalais Award (a Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
  • Nominated: Palme d'Or (Best Film)
• Golden Globe Awards:
  • Nominated: Best Picture - Drama
  • Nominated: Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu)
  • Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt)
  • Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza)
  • Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Rinko Kikuchi)
  • Nominated: Best Screenplay (Guillermo Arriaga)
  • Nominated: Best Score (Gustavo Santaolalla)
• Top Ten Lists including:
  • American Film Institute Awards 2006

Poster for 2006 Cannes Film Festival, from the film In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai. ... The Palme dOr (Golden Palm) is the name of the highest prize given to a film at the Cannes Film Festival. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The AFI Awards 2006 honored the best 10 Movies and 10 Television Programs of the year. ...

Box Office Performance

Within the film industry, Babel's box-office results are generally considered to have been weaker than expected.[2]

Released in seven theaters on October 27, 2006, and then released wide in 1,251 theaters on November 10, 2006, Babel has earned as of December 27, 2006, $19,234,940 in North America, and $20,049,448 in the rest of the world, for a cumulative worldwide box office total of $39,284,388. [3]

Babel is thus the lowest performing movie featuring Brad Pitt in a starring role since 1994's The Favor.[4]. It is also the worst performing wide-release movie (1,000+ theaters) starring Cate Blanchett since 1999's Pushing Tin.[5] Compared to his other films, Babel has surpassed González Iñárritu's 21 Grams for North American box office, but will be far behind that film's $60 million world-wide gross boxoffice.[6] William Bradley Brad Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... The Favor is a 1994 film directed by Donald Petrie and written by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon. ... Cate Blanchett (born Catherine Élise Blanchett on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ... Pushing Tin is 1999 film directed by Mike Newell. ... 21 Grams is a 2003 drama written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. ...

According to boxofficemojo.com, it is set for a re-release (expansion) on January 19th, 2007, to capitalize on award season nominations and wins.

External links

• Official site
• Official trailer
• Babel at the Internet Movie Database
• Babel Production Notes Full Production Notes
• Babel at Rotten Tomatoes
• Babel Reviews at Metacritic.com