Babel presents an alternative to normal theories of film narrative. Firstly, it has no obvious hero or villain as Propp suggests. In each story, even the apparent worst character has good side. Two good examples of this are the Mexican man Santiago even though his primary interest is having a good time at the wedding and getting drunk, he does try to get the children back to their home and shows a significant degree of responsibility. Also the younger boy acts older than he actually is and performs a number of irresponsible actions, but he does show regret when his brother gets shot and surrenders to the police in an attempt to save his brother and stop the pursuit by the police. The characters are multi-facted and have multiple roles. So it would be hard to identify a hero or a villain. However the narrative of Babel may fit the argument by Todorov which is that all stories begin with equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. The film does not put a strong colour on any of the stores, instead, it tells each story quietly and steadily. It also set a series of small puzzles to be solved as the film goes on, adding the audience enjoyment in solving the puzzles. E.g. what is the relationship between the Japanese girl and other characters? This applies to the theory suggested by Barthes about the different codes in narrative. Additionally, the binary oppositions suggested by Levi-Strauss can be found in Babel. He argues that an abiding structure of all meaning-making, not just narratives, was a dependence on binary oppositions, or a conflict between two qualities or terms. For instance, the American and Mexican characters, Eastern and Western cultures etc. These oppositions strengthen the conception of injustice in the society and the importance of communication.
Another interesting point of the film is the clever use of time. As Susan has been rescued by American government, his husband makes phone call back to their American house. The other side of the phone was answered by their son, which was shown at the beginning of the film. This allows the audience put the stories eventually in a chronological order and gain a full understanding of the concept and talent of the director.
The method of representation of concepts in the film is significant. The four stories not only represents individual story line, but also connect with each other. There is no content in the film about the relationship between Susan and her children. Instead, the film concentrates more on the Mexican nanny, Amelia. She represents two mother figures- one is for her real son who is having a wedding; the second is for the American children. She spares no effort to save the children even though she has been arrested by the police. Her efforts represent the values of a good mother. Another good example is the attitude of American media towards the shooting of Susan, they believe that it is done by terrorists and eliminate all other possibilities. This represents the current situation of American society and a good example of easy miscommunication. This reaction is a product of high awareness currently present in the USA. The film does not emphasise and overstate this point, but allows the viewers draw their own conclusion for its criticism of this situation. There is also representation of race prejudice which is presented by the attitude of the police to Amelia and her nephew Santiago, which is violent and aggressive, causing the sudden rage of Santiago. This is cleverly shown through the eyes of children, where there is an air of innocence and sense of wonder in the world is seen. Another concept represented is love within families. The director constructs strong feelings of family love at the end of the film. Amelia reunites with her son after she gets deported, Chieko reconciles with her father, the love is shown between the Moroccan brothers, and the call from the American father. Each character finds his/her love in the family, which represents the importance of family love and the value of family members.
In my opinion, the film has more meaning that the obvious story lines. It involves several pictures of cultural differences, which cross continents. It represents not only inequality but the stronger override the weaker ones. The policeman in the frontier regards Amelia as a criminal just because of her colour of skin. Santiago’s sudden rage is not because of that night or because he is drunk, but because of the sum of years of humiliation and resentment that he has been holding back for years. Two boys set off a chain of global events they could never have imagined. This is a common model of miscommunication that culminates in the hurt of one family member and the sudden growth of the younger boy. It not only express the love between brothers but tell us we will be punished after we do something wrong as well. The film also calls out care between people by the story of Chieko. It lets us think more about the people around us. Whether they are stranger or family members, healthy or ill, rich or poor, we should pay attention and love to them.
Overall, Babel is an innovative film in its narrative and the way it splits across different story lines. It is a mystery and thriller film all in one and suggests more in that it shows a highly innovative global message.
