--- title: "Babel" year: 2006 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/babel" fi1m_id: "babel" imdb_id: "tt0449467" tmdb_id: 1164 wikidata_id: "Q191074" fi1m_score: 64 critics_score: 53 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:30.375602+00:00" region: "AT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Babel (2006) Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu · 2h 23m · Drama ## Identity Babel - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/babel - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** babel - **IMDb ID:** tt0449467 - **TMDB ID:** 1164 - **Wikidata ID:** Q191074 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449467/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1164, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q191074 **Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 53 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* We wanted someone to help these people, preferably before the screenplay found them again > *Babel* is affecting when it stays with people and overbearing when it insists on connecting them. Alejandro G. Iñárritu draws strong performances from a crowded cast, but the mounting misfortune makes a serious drama feel needlessly managed. ## Synopsis *Babel* follows several connected stories in which parents and children face the consequences of misunderstanding, fear and prejudice. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play Richard and Susan Jones; Rinko Kikuchi plays Chieko, and Adriana Barraza plays Amelia. The ensemble also includes Said Tarchani as Ahmed, Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef and Gael García Bernal as Santiago. As the film moves between countries, private troubles become entangled with differences of language and power. Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs from Guillermo Arriaga’s screenplay, following people whose ability to protect one another is tested by events they cannot fully understand. ## Review Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s *Babel* asks us to care about people separated by language, nationality and circumstance, then gives us ample reason to worry about them. It is a worthwhile, sometimes moving drama whose screenplay keeps interrupting its own good work. Writer Guillermo Arriaga links the stories through misunderstandings and coincidences, with parents’ efforts to protect children providing a more convincing connection than some of the plotting. At 143 minutes, the film has time to make those relationships matter, but spends too much of it arranging further distress. Cate Blanchett, as Susan Jones, and Adriana Barraza, as Amelia, give the film much of its emotional weight. We can believe in their distress even when we doubt the chain of events that has produced it. Brad Pitt’s Richard Jones and Rinko Kikuchi’s Chieko belong to an ensemble that generally makes the individual scenes more convincing than the whole. Iñárritu gets committed work from his cast, although the writing leaves too little room for these people to be anything other than troubled. We were moved by the help offered in the Moroccan passages. Those moments allow kindness to take up space in a film that can seem determined to find another reason for everyone to be afraid. The criticism of American privilege is more persuasive here because Iñárritu makes room for the people doing the helping. We get a glimpse of how this drama might work with less insistence on everyone’s capacity to misunderstand. Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography gives the separate stories a physical immediacy that helps us accept the changes of setting. His images carry unease more effectively than some of the dialogue, and the passages without speech are among the film’s most involving. Brigitte Broch’s production design makes those settings feel inhabited, giving us something to notice beyond the central characters’ distress. Gustavo Santaolalla’s music is affecting, though it adds to a sadness that hardly needs reinforcing. With so much already being asked of our sympathy, the score can feel like one further instruction. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione make the movement between stories tense, sometimes to an exhausting degree. Cutting away from one person’s trouble keeps us anxious about what we have left behind, even as another situation demands attention. The rhythm works well at first. Eventually, that repeated pressure becomes tiring, especially when the connections begin to look convenient. The second half gives Arriaga’s arrangements increasing prominence, and characters we had begun to care about get pulled towards the next required complication. The familiar difficulty with this kind of ensemble drama is making each connection worth the interruption. *Babel* too often asks us to accept a coincidence because it serves a serious theme, then relies on its actors to make the resulting situation hurt. Their work, and the force of the quieter passages, make it worth considering if demanding, interwoven dramas are your preference. Go for the performances, and be prepared for a screenplay that has difficulty leaving them alone. *Fi1m score 64, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are sharply divided on Babel, though praise clusters around its visual force, emotional tension and performances. Admirers find the intersecting stories an affecting account of lives shaped by misunderstanding, prejudice and fear. They see the international scope as serving recognisable human concerns, especially family relationships and failures of communication. Screen Daily singles out Cate Blanchett and Adriana Barraza, while even some less convinced reviews acknowledge the impact of sequences that work without dialogue. The disagreement is over whether those connections carry enough dramatic weight. Supporters find feeling and anger in the structure; detractors find contrivance, thin characters and suffering arranged to make an obvious point. Reservations also concern a second half that loses momentum as resolutions accumulate. Time Out regards the global connections as dramatically unproductive, while Film Comment challenges the performances themselves. The spread is wide: what moves one group strikes another as coercive and self-important. ## Straight answers **Is Babel worth watching?** *Babel* is worth watching for people who like demanding, interwoven dramas and can forgive a screenplay that keeps arranging fresh misfortune, and we scored it 64. Cate Blanchett and Adriana Barraza carry much of the emotional weight, and the Moroccan passages are the most moving. Go for the performances rather than the plotting. **How long is Babel, and what is it rated?** *Babel* runs 2h 23m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch Babel in Austria?** *Babel* is not on any streaming or rental service in Austria at the moment. It is available in 27 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Babel, and is it suitable for children?** *Babel* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children, and it is a sombre, distressing drama rather than a frightening one. Its stories place parents and children in danger and the film returns to fear and misfortune repeatedly, which makes it hard going. Teenagers who can take sustained sadness will manage; the squeamish need not worry about gore. **How does Babel compare to Amores Perros?** *Babel* is the more polished and far-reaching of the two, moving between countries, while [*Amores Perros*](https://film.one/film/amores-perros) stays in Mexico City with rougher, more difficult people and more graphic cruelty. We think the earlier film is the stronger one, because its contrivances feel earned by its performances. *Babel* suits those who want the wider canvas and can tolerate its managed distress. **What should I watch after Babel?** After *Babel*, try [*Amores perros*](https://film.one/film/amores-perros) (2000, Fi1m 85): Iñárritu follows connected lives with more room for unruly, difficult people. Then [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): A family dispute widens through small decisions, with nobody conveniently innocent; and [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) (1996, Fi1m 88): Mike Leigh gives family misunderstandings time to hurt without neglecting the humour. ### Reviews we read (10) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (85/100, inferred): Iñárritu’s ambitious, globe-spanning closure to his trilogy is terrific cinema with great performances, searing imagery and emotional tension that builds dread across intersecting stories. It explores big themes like globalisation and prejudice through humanist eyes without pat answers, though some may find the coincidences overwrought. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/babel-review/) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (B-): The film starts promisingly but gradually deflates in its back half as resolutions pile on. It is gut-wrenching at times yet turns stilted, with the strongest element being its brilliantly cinematic sequences when no one is talking. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/babel-1798202306) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (40/100, inferred): The director's one-note sensibility produces wafer-thin characters and jerry-rigged stories reliant on scare tactics. The film earns some credit for its critique of American privilege and the heart shown in the Moroccan support scenes, but overall sacrifices nuance for connect-the-dots plotting. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/babel/) - **Film Comment**, Kent Jones (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the film bloated with self-importance and immobilized by its sprawling global narrative. He singles out the inexplicable nasty behaviors and lack of genuine performances for complaint. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/cannes-2006-the-humanity/) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (25/100, inferred): The review calls the film an energetic but thoroughly depressing and shallow exercise in flashy suffering, criticizing its contrived global connections and banal message as offering no real dramatic benefit beyond misery. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/babel-1) - **Screen Daily**: The critic sees the film maturing into a melancholy meditation on humanity divided by misunderstanding, prejudice and fear, with strong performances from Cate Blanchett and Adriana Barraza standing out amid the multi-stranded narrative. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/babel/4027486.article) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds the film an impressive, beautifully acted work with a tragic sense of life; its formal structure controls a seething anger. The global village it depicts is harsh and unfair, dramatising failures of communication and understanding without stating them directly. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jan/21/bradpitt.thriller) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott: The film is a grand, ambitious wreck lacking coherent narrative logic, yet it possesses undeniable aesthetic force and physical impact through its sensory exuberance and jarring storytelling across continents. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/movies/27babe.html) - **The Skinny**, Alec McLeod (4/5): The critic praises the film's massive scope and its focus on parent-child relationships amid international themes. He singles out its stylistic evocations of other world cinema as part of a strong statement on keeping children safe. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/babel) - **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel: The critic praises Babel as Iñárritu and Arriaga's most ambitious project, an affecting examination of disconnected lives in an interconnected world with flawless ensemble performances and moving human dramas. They single out the polyphony of languages and cinematic allusions for creating barriers and bridges, calling it superbly crafted melodrama for the new millennium. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/babel-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Details - **Director:** Alejandro González Iñárritu - **Director:** Alejandro González Iñárritu - **Writer:** Guillermo Arriaga - **Cinematography:** Rodrigo Prieto - **Editor:** Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione - **Music:** Gustavo Santaolalla - **Production design:** Brigitte Broch - **Costume design:** Michael Wilkinson, Gabriela Diaque, Miwako Kobayashi - **Producer:** Jon Kilik, Steve Golin, Alejandro González Iñárritu - **Cast:** Brad Pitt as Richard Jones; Rinko Kikuchi as Chieko; Adriana Barraza as Amelia; Cate Blanchett as Susan Jones; Satoshi Nikaido as Kenji Mamiya; Said Tarchani as Ahmed; Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef; Gael García Bernal as Santiago - **Runtime:** 2h 23m - **First release (France):** 23 May 2006 - **Genres:** Drama - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2006); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2006); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2006) - **Budget:** $25 million - **Box office:** $135 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDNa6t-TDrQ ## Where to watch in Austria Not streaming, renting or buying in Austria at the last check. Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, ES, FI, GB, HU, IE, IL, JP, KR, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, SE, SG, TH, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2007: Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated); Best Original Score (won) ## If you liked this - *Amores perros* (2000), Fi1m 85: Iñárritu follows connected lives with more room for unruly, difficult people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/amores-perros.md) - *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: A family dispute widens through small decisions, with nobody conveniently innocent. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md) - *The Edge of Heaven* (2007): Crossing borders brings parents and children into painful, carefully drawn relationships. - *Secrets & Lies* (1996), Fi1m 88: Mike Leigh gives family misunderstandings time to hurt without neglecting the humour. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md) - *Yi Yi* (2000), Fi1m 92: Edward Yang gives several generations room to be funny, frightened and uncertain. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/yi-yi.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/babel