For the first time in his career, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu is presenting a feature film, in competition, at the Festival de Cannes.
cast 'Babel' (minus Brad Pitt who is on "baby watch") picture © AFP
Following the example of his previous two films, Love's a Bitch (2000) and 21 Grams (2004), the Mexican director adopts the narration of crossed destinies to deliver a snapshot of our troubled times.
According to the Bible, Babel was a renowned tower built by mankind united together to attain paradise.
This enterprise provoked the wrath of God, who, to separate them, had each of the men involved speak a different language, thus putting an end to the project and spreading over the Earth a disorientated people incapable of communicating.
Satoshi Nikaido, Kôji Yakusho, Said Tarchani, Boubker Ait El Caid© AFP
In Morocco, a mere gunshot triggers off a series of events, which have disastrous or saving consequences, according to the protagonists involved.
With ‘Babel,’ explains Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, "I wanted to explore the contradiction between the impression that the world has become quite small due to all the communication tools which we have, and the feeling that human beings are still incapable of expressing themselves and communicating amongst themselves on a fundamental level."
Gael Garcia Bernal, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, Cate Blanchett
© AFP
The director and actors Adriana Barrazza, Cate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi, Boubker Ait El Caid, Gael García Bernal, Said Tarchani and Kôji Yashuka took part in the film’s press conference May 23rd.
Not present was Brad Pitt who sent an email to excuse his absence, “home with my family awaiting baby any minute now.”
Some excerpts from the press meet:
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu on the title of the film: "Babel, we think about man building this tower and trying to arrive to the sky and be gods. And then God got angry and he created these different languages. And that's the reason we are talking so many languages all over the world.
For me that's not the problem, I think that language can be very easy to break. For me, I think the problem is the ideas and preconceptions that we have that really keep us apart. That's what the film's about. And at the same time, I want this film to be basically about what separates us and what brings us together. I think that's the key element: What makes us the same people living in the world and not what are our differences. Which ones are the similarities and I hope this film communicates that."
Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu on the film's message: "I don't know if it's an x-ray of the world because that's too ambitious, but I tried to show what is going on with us at the moment. We see the “other” as always abstract, so that to be different means to be dangerous and not able to understand the other.
This is happening not only country between country, but against fathers, against sons, against husband... We are not able to listen anymore. I want to talk about that, the borders within our souls: our preconceptions of our fathers, the archetypes we have from religions, races, cultures. I tried to make a film that talks about prejudice without being prejudice."
Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu on the editing: "Seeing a film is a very fragmented emotional experience. At this time, I didn't want to play with that. I wanted to be more linear so that people wouldn't feel distracted by the film structure and just let them flow with the emotion of the film."
Cate Blanchard © AFP
Cate Blanchett on her perception of the film: "This film is all about connections between parents and children, which I think so many of us understand. It felt very personal for me as well as for Alejandro. Being a parent, when you see a child in danger, particularly with an irresponsible nanny, it engages me, it's like pulling the roots of my system out. It's very distressing."
Cate Blanchett on working with Brad Pitt: "It's like chocolate. He's glorious and wonderful. We've been wanting to work with one another for a long time and to work together in quite an unexpected way and for Brad to be doing something for an audience, and Alejandro, it was intensely riveting. The moment of him, which is so beautifully judged in terms of where it's placed in the film but also so exquisitely performed, when he speaks with the children on the phone at the end, I think it's one of the most moving moments in a film."
Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu on coincidences in life: "I feel that the connection that I want to make is not a physical or coincidental connection, nor a plot connection. What I try to do in this film, I think as human beings, what makes us happy is very different, depends on cultures or races. What makes us sad and miserable is exactly what we share and that thing is basically the impossibility of love, the impossibility to be touched by love, the impossibility to touch with love and express it.
That is one of the most painful things that every human being has experienced, as well as feeling vulnerable to love.
I think those two things are the most tragic things that bring us together. This film and the connections to the characters is about that, all of them on different levels, no matter which culture, no matter which country, religion, age, social class... All of these people are at an inability to express themselves, with their husbands, with their wives, with their kids.
When you cannot be touched by words, and when you cannot touch people with words, then the body becomes a weapon, an invitation and that is what is tremendous about the story. I feel that you saw a film about human beings and not about Moroccans, Mexicans nor Americans."
Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu on the USA: "In this film I don't want good or bad guys. I think what is happening in the world is perpetuated. I try to be subtle in way, to not be archetypal, and not prejudice.
When I think about an Empire, it's not about nations, human beings, others. It's the way they normally try to pretend that everyone is a terrorist, anything can be held against you. I think there is now an obsessive idea, obsessive problem with the United States, showing the power.
This is a very stressful moment in history."
© Festival de Cannes
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