Barrier

I would like to talk about one of my favorite films: Babel.
The key word of this film is: 「barrier.」 And generally, there are two kinds of barriers in the movie: one is the cultural barrier, and the other one is the individual barrier. The cultural barrier can be found in the different scene settings: the barren drab desert and pale blue sky in Morocco, the metropolitan whirl and colorful neon lights in Japan, and the chaotic busy streets and crowded buildings in Mexico. Also there are different kinds of music go with different scenes: the flowing Arabian music in Morocco, the uptempo electronic music in Japan, and the lively Mariachi music in Mexico. And the language barrier causes the most direct incapability of communication, which was specifically shown when Richard could not communicate to the local Moroccans.
Yet the more crucial barrier which gives the film a sad keynote is the individual barrier. This is the barrier of souls and hearts. Though speaking the same language, the American tourists on the bus finally leave wounded Susan and Richard; the Japanese deaf girl Chieco wants to be accepted by the society and peers but gets rejected every time; intoxicated by the police’s continuous inquiry, Santiago trespasses the border… When we think about it, the conflicts or tragedies are actually nobody’s fault—what every character does is only keeping his/her own interest. However, this instinct destines human to be a selfish creature; we are too defensive of ourselves so that we become distrustful of others. Moreover, as separate individuals, we cannot truly feel other’s pain; most of the time, when we confront other’s afflictions, we are only outsiders like the Moroccan villagers in the film who stand far away and watch the American woman bleeding, yet do not intend to, and actually are not able to, give any help. Babel reminds me of John Lennon’s classic song, Imagine. 「Imagine all the people/ Living life in peace/ Imagine there's no countries/ It isn't hard to do/ A brotherhood of man/ Imagine all the people/ Sharing all the world/ and the world will be as one.」 Babel’s director Alejandro Inarritu must find this song too utopian, since barrier is an insuperable obstacle in human nature.
Nevertheless, we can still discover some peaceful and moving moments from the film, such as the Moroccan tour guide Anwar falls on his knees and prays piously for the American couple, Richard and Susan kiss and forgive each other when Susan thinks she is to die, and Mexican nanny Amelia begs the police to save the two kids life when she is arrested. And all these beauties are because of love. When Richard wants to pay Anwar to express his thankfulness, Anwar kindly rejected. Love can not be measured by any material means; it derives from our hearts, and it is priceless.