Released in 2006, Babel is an ensemble film written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It is a complex non-linear drama that is the last in Iñárritu's "Death Trilogy" which includes Amores Perros and 21 Grams. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and won Iñárritu a Best Director award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for his work.
Babel follows three different storylines and maps their chance interconnectedness against a background of geopolitical turmoil, xenophobia, and personal tragedy. Susan and Richard are a wealthy American couple traveling in Morocco, when Susan is accidentally hit by a bullet from a rifle shot for play by a young boy, Yussef, the son of a goatherder who has been charged with shooting jackals in the desert. The film follows the way that this accident is misinterpreted and politicized as a terrorist act, and traces the rifle that Yussef uses back to a Japanese businessman who passed it along to a Moroccan while visiting the country on a hunting trip. We follow the struggles of the Japanese man's daughter, Chieko, a deaf-mute teenager who is coping with the loss of her mother through reckless sexual experimentation. Additionally, we see the story of Richard and Susan's nanny, who takes their children on an ultimately catastrophic journey to Mexico for her son's wedding.
Babel's budget was $25 million, and much of this was spent on locations that spanned four continents, some of which, such as Taguenzalt—a tiny Moroccan village built into the rock of the Atlas Mountains—were extremely remote. Shortly after the filming wrapped, director Iñárritu and screenwriter Arriaga had a falling out regarding the authorship of a film they had worked on previously, 21 Grams. Iñárritu claimed that he was the sole author and minimized Arriaga's involvement. When Babel was screened at Cannes, Iñárritu banned Arriaga from attending.
As well as being known for its outstanding performances and rich ensemble cast, the film also stands out because of its beautiful musical score. This was the work of Gustao Santaolalla, who won both the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and a BAFTA for Best Film Music.
