"Babel: Humanity Amid Pain"

Poem fragment of the day:
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
     "To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
     Of cabbages-and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
     And whether pigs have wings."
--Lewis Carroll

The movie Babel accomplishes something very interesting. Two of its subplots deal with immigration and terrorism, yet there is not an “evildoer” anywhere in the film.

It interweaves the themes of tragedy, celebration, misunderstanding, adolescence, community, disability, law enforcement, hospitality, connection, selfishness and fear in a synchronistic slice-of-life story that transcends every stereotype.

It has been nominated for the best picture Oscar. I don’t think it’s the best film of 2006, but it’s well worth seeing. There are several scenes in the film that will stay with me, and some of the performances are very powerful indeed.