Babel (2006)
#34 in my 2007 movie challenge was Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel. I recently watched both Amores Perros (his best film, I thought) and 21 Grams, both of which were good, if often difficult to watch. Midway through Babel, I found myself thinking “I hate this movie; I just hate it.” It was an overlapping narrative concerned with racism and prejudice. The tension centered largely around a woman and children in danger. I’m beyond tired of all those conceits. Yes, there were some good performances here, but this cruel, button-pushing film left a sour taste in my mouth long before the end, when the white people are OK while the people of color are mostly screwed.