Babel Is Produced in 2006 and Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Mohammadkhani

Babel misunderstands Muslims

Written by: Najmeh Mohammadkhani

Introduction:

Babel is AcademicAward nominated film in 2006 and directed by Mexican film directorAlejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga.This film won Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. It has also been nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Babel is not presented in Iranian cinemas but you can find it in the market. Many people here are fan of American films.

Babel is a multi narrative drama with four interlinkstories including Moroccan, Japanese, American and Mexican that all by a rifle connect to each other. The film's cycle started inMorocco with depiction of Arab Muslim family who live in desert.The father whose name is Abdullah has received a rifle from his friend Hasan who lives in the same region as him.The rifle was not Hasan`s own rather a Japanese man visiting Morocco gave him. The two boys with out their father's notice got the rifle to examine its ability and to see how much the bullet can flow. By accident the bullet shot to the neck of the American women (Cate Blanchett) who was in the tourist's bus.She and her husband (BradPitt) were coming to Morocco as a tourist. This is by the way that Susan ( Cate Blanchett) was very scared and dissatisfied about being in Morocco.

The camera moves to United Sates were Susan and Richard's children were taken to Mexico by Amelia their house keeper for her son's wedding party. Their trip to Mexico lasted very sad by captured of Amelia with American police for not taking care of the children.

InTokyo there is a rebellious deaf Japanese teenage girl, Chieko whose mother was committed suicide and Chieko was very traumatized by. She had many social and emotional problems with the social atmosphere around her and started exhibiting very abnormal sexually behaviors. Her father was the one who gave the rifle to Hasan (the Moroccan hunter)

Babel basically was about cultural differences and people's miscommunication. Lingual and cultural differences were at the background of the story.Richard's miscommunication with Moroccan people for not knowing Arabic, his children in Mexico were frightened with Spanish words they could understand the meanings.

Babel has very powerful narration but in my idea Muslims are much misrepresented.Part of the film that is produced in Morocco could happen in the city not in the desert then it could be able to be in parallel with life in Tokyo, United Sates and Mexico. In my opinion this film insists on the mutual relationship that doubledafter 9/ 11 in the world about Muslims that Muslims are terrorist, terrorists are Muslim. The camera showed frequently Arab women in Burqas. This reminded me the news from Afghanistan after September 11 that is being iconized for "war on terror" project in America. Babel showed the differences between American children who grow up with many facilities and Arab Muslim children who grow up in desert with out any primitive facility. The other point was the masturbation of Abdullah's 12 year old son in the mountain. The son enjoyed looking her sister while changing her clothes and that made him to masturbate. Surprisingly how come a child in this age with very hard and tough life in the desert has this much sexual imagination?

The music on the Moroccan part of the film was very sad and doleful while life is Tokyo and Mexico was mixed with very energetic music.Life in Morocco was depicted very primitive, no spoon for eating, no T.V at home, no telephone, no individualism. This is by the way that the Mexican and Japanese life were very modern. You could also see American exceptionalism in this film. Richard could shout and yell at Moroccan police because he was American and from better social status than Hasan who was bitten by police for the crime he had never ever committed. Susan was also suspicious about the ice cube in Morocco that might carry disease. American childrenthought Mexico is not safebecausethey were said so.Babel was very much filled up stereotypes.

Conclusion:

Babel is very much unilateral is terms of jugging Muslims and has stereotypical depiction.Babel gave the sense that Muslims are always the victims of political plays (even accidentally) like people in Iraq who are the victims of "War on terror" policy and Americans every where are exception whose all the bests are for and from them. In my idea this film has Islamophobic theme and very insulting not only to Moroccans but also to Muslims in general.