Fred Said . . .

I find this movie very emotionally draining and exhausting. It is relentless in its depiction of sadness in this world. Compared to previous Inarritu movies, "Amores Perros" and the sublime "21 Grams", "Babel" I felt was not the same level. It tries to expand its web of stories worldwide, but it did not feel as neat as the previous two, which were both amazing in their endings. The Japanese storyline, though similar in message of failure to communicate, felt particularly out of main stream of events. Its disturbing presentation of Japanese youth pop culture was way too long for me, though I understand it to contrast the noise of young Tokyo with the silence in Cheiko's deafness and loneliness.

In terms of the acting, I must say I was impressed with Brad Pitt. That hospital scene where Brad was on the payphone talking to his son was very realistic and touching. While the actresses who played Amelia and Cheiko are ok, I did not really tag them as award-worthy.