Tower of Humanity

A friend recently lent me a DVD. Great! Just what I need to pass time.

I couldn't care less when I missed that movie at the big screen, simply because it never made it to my "to-watch-list"! So why should I care now?

For one, I've got time on my hands. Why not give it a try, I thought.

Yeah, it looks like a long and slow movie tackling some serious subject matter, but at least it can help me dawdle the hours away on the couch. If it gets boring, I can always start counting my toes again.

So, armed with trepidation in one hand, and a free rented DVD in the other, I prowled towards the player and loaded it.

And guess what - the movie turned out to be such an intelligent and dramatic one that I was completely converted!

I think a rare film like that deserves some mention, so here I am, sharing with you my two cents worth. (Someone suggested that I be a part-time movie critic, so here I am, haha, thanks to that someone.)

It is an emotional film that cleverly weaves 4 seemingly unrelated stories that take place across the globe, into a tale of fate, love, lust, secrets, and responsibilities. In short, human emotions lah.

1. An American couple who seek to repair a failing relationship by taking a vacation at Morocco.

2. A herdsman who buys a rifle for his two sons to protect their herds of goats by keeping the jackals out.

3. A nanny who faces a dilemma, torn between having to look after her charges at San Diego and wanting to attend her own son's wedding at Mexico.

4. And at Tokyo, a deaf-mute Japanese teenage girl who has to deal with her sense of self worth and her estranged father.

As the 4 stories unfold, you will soon realise they have more in common than meets the eye. This film is supported by an excellent cast of big names and unknowns from different countries and races.

Through 2 and a half hours, it tells us how we may all be connected somehow, in one way or another, whether here or halfway round the globe (driving home the message on six degrees of separation?).

Yes, it is an intense 2 and half hours, so you've been duly forewarned. You probably have to be in the right frame of mind to watch a movie like that. I think the film has marginally and successfully crossed over - from an art film to a commmercial film. It also garnered some recognition at the Oscars.

Although each story is told in sequence, the different stories when put together are not presented in direct parallels. So the movie leaves the audience to make the connection among the stories as they develop. The exact same conversation that you hear in one story (at beginning of the movie) is heard again in another story (at end of the movie), from another character's perspective.

It's no rocket science, really, so you'll gradually piece the puzzle together as you watch it. (It's nothing like Pulp Fiction's way of telling the stories in random sequence, if that's what you're worried about. Nor is it any way like how Memento tries to screw up your mind by telling the stories backward!).

Some characters do stand out and leave a lasting impression. The sensitive performance of the Japanese girl is mesmerizing. And the outstanding portrayal of the herdsman's little son comes across as genuine and heartfelt. Anytime can beat our local child actor (or adult actor, for that matter).

The powerful story telling and the strong cast make for engaging and compelling viewing. As it turned out, no counting of toes or any other body parts was necessary after all. Haha.

4 stories that eventually converge into an overwhelmingly depressing closure. Well, I shall not give out any spoilers here. Go watch it if you're interested. Oh, by the way, the name of the film is Babel :)