I went into this movie not knowing what to expect. I had never heard of it and decided not to read anything about it before I watched it. At first I was very confused and had no idea how the stories tied together. The fact that it jumped from place to place was also very confusing. I still do not totally understand the ending when the dad called the nanny to speak with the children because from what I gathered he was speaking with the nanny that had been deported. I feel like the two stories had a lot of accuracy to their place in time. The fact that our government in the movie was quick to jump to conclusions about the white woman being shot and said it was an act of terrorism is something that probably happens more than we would like to admit. I was frustrated that the Morracan police just started shooting at the family instead of trying to bring them into custody. When the police first talked with the two young boys they were scared and did not know what to do so they lied. I do not think my this constitutes them being shot. Most children lie when they are scared of getting in trouble and these boys were probably scared that something just like what actually happened was what was going to happen.
The nanny taking the children across the border in hindsight was probably not the greatest choice and it was for sure not a good choice to get in the car with her nephew after the wedding. I feel that they accurately depicted what I am sure many South Americans and Mexicans fear which is being deported. So many people come here in search of a better life but then have to live in constant fear. Even if they come here on a work Visa if they commit any crime they can be deported. This woman had built a life here and started she had worked in this country for sixteen years. Yes she made a poor decision but due to the parents deciding to leave the children behind she felt that she did not have a choice. She pretty much was their parent as it seems their parents were not around much for them. It is sad that many families in America have someone else take care of their children. I myself have an infant and it is hard for me to go to work every day and leave her with someone else that I am paying to take care of her. It really makes no sense to me at all.
As for the deaf mute Japanese girl, it took me a while to figure out what she meant to the story. I am still trying to figure out why they decided to make her deaf and mute but I guess that is besides the point. I also understand that she is going through some traumatic events with her mother committing suicide but what I don’t understand is why they decided to make her so promiscuous. It appeared she was just looking for attention from anywhere she could find it which can and does happen for children that lose a parent and feel their other parent does not give them enough attention. I felt almost like I was looking at myself watching her. The way she was deciding to grieve was almost just like mine. My dad committed suicide and after that my mom got heavily into drinking and was never around. I looked for attention from anyone who would give it to me even if that meant it was adult men. I also got into the drug scene in order to cope. I think they did a good job of showing some of the things that can happen when you are not paying attention to your children after a loss like that.
Back to the white family in Morocco. The film makers made sure to show the kindness the villagers had towards them, bringing them into their home and caring for the woman for five days before help finally arrived. I feel that if our government hadn’t jumped to conclusions so fast help would have been able to get there sooner. Due to this being considered an act of terrorism, people feared to help as they thought by helping they may get killed too.
Once I got the story line and realized how they were all connected it was a facinating movie. I don’t watch many movies with subtitles as I get distracted and sometimes don’t catch all of what they are saying. I think the film makers did a good job of depicting some of what is going on in the world and what different things people have to face every day. I also feel they did a good job of showing that not just one country has issues but that we all have issues they are just different in some ways. Many people live in fear every day and I think this was a great eye opener for people.
Shayla's Blog 
Thank you for your honest, rich and personal response to “Babel.” You touch on so many important aspects of the movie. The police shooting at the Moroccan family, for example, and how unfair that seems to us. The exploitation and then deportation of the undocumented nanny. Your reaction to the deaf Japanese teenager seems appropriate. Because this movie is about communication (and miscommunication), what character represents its lack more than a person who does not speak or hear. As such, the girl Chieko might also be symbolic of all of us who don’t hear because we don’t listen and/or don’t speak out. Her loss of mother due to suicide is so deeply painful. (I apologize for this as a trigger that can cause those of us who’ve lost someone to relive that awful pain.) Chieko’s promiscuity you note is often one way that humans respond to a need for attention. This character play a powerful emotional role in the film. (And the actress is super talented!)
I’m glad you stuck with the movie though it was a bit confusing. Well done!
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Hi Shayla, The scene were the Moroccan family opened their home to the tourists was very moving. I think the villagers who assisted did it out of humanity and not political reasons. The police on the other hand, were driven by the desire to show the American Embassay that they won’t tolerate terrorism. So they didn’t stop to ask questions, instead they allowed fear and anger to drive their actions. What’s great about this movie is how fast and life like the situations all unfold. The character’s decisions are not shown to be reasoned out, rather they are split second decisions made like in real life. Pretty neat how the film makers capture that nuance.
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