A Comparative Analysis of Amores Perros and Babel - Essay Example

Amores Perros and Babel – A Comparative Analysis Introduction This essay would be focusing on the comparative analysis of the two Movies, Amores Perros and Babel, both of which have been made by the film producer of Mexico, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The analysis would study the main characters of the movies, and their relation to the circumstances surrounding them. It would also be encompassing the aspect of ascertaining the relevance of the movies in the contemporary scenario. Finally, the essay would dwell on the views of Alejandro as projected in the movies, as well as his observations of the present scenario of Mexico and the US. Before going into all those details, it would be highly worthwhile in summarizing the story of both Amores Perros and Babel, for this would be of immense help in the subsequent comparative analysis. Amores Perros – Review Amores Perros marks the debut of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, as a film maker. This movie shares many common features with the film “Pulp Fiction. The only difference being that, Pulp Fiction has glorified criminals even to the extent of giving them the status of demigods. On the other hand, in Amores Perros, criminal elements are projected just as they are in actual life, and no attempt is made by the filmmaker to give a positive angle to negative characters. In Amores Perros, stories that are first narrated separately are later connected with each other. (1) Firstly, the audience is introduced to the characters of Susana and Octavia, with the former being the wife of Ramiro, Octavia’s elder brother. Ramiro never shows any affection towards his wife, and it is but natural for the love-starved Susana to be drawn towards the benevolent and relatively kind-hearted Octavia. Susana plans to elope with her brother-in-law and her infant, after he (Octavia) earns some decent money. Octavia, propelled by the objective of making it big, takes to dog fighting and eventually does manage to earn a substantial sum. After that, Ramiro gets interested in the prosperity of his brother, and all ensuing situations imperil the plans of Susana and Octavia. (1) Next, the characters of Daniel, a magazine publisher, and Valeria, a renowned model, are introduced. Both of them live together, after Daniel leaves his family. Later, a serious road mishap grievously injures Valeria and puts an abrupt end to her successful modeling career, and the prosperous life expected by Daniel becomes just an unfulfilled dream. (1) Lastly, there is the character of Chivo, a former guerilla who deserted his wife and daughter for pursuit of his militant ideology. After several years, while eking out a living as an assassin, he is highly repentant for his past deeds. The only company that he has is a group of dogs. Chivo just keeps watching his daughter from a distance, as he is not courageous enough to introduce himself as her father, courtesy his past action of deserting them (wife and daughter). Once, when he is assigned the task of killing a man, by none other than his (man’s) own brother, Chivo has his epiphany moment, when he fully understands the relevance of both a family, and also all aspects pertinent to it. (1) Review of Babel Even in Babel, the first part is comprised of four different stories that later get connected with each other so as to form a single story. The movie vividly focuses on the hostile feelings that people related to diverse cultures display towards each other. (2) The first story is narrated against the backdrop of Morocco, and it revolved around two brothers, Ahmed and Yussef, with the former being the elder one. Their father is more concerned about Yussef than the elder son, and the main reason for this favoritism being his (Yussef) higher expertise in usage of rifle. One day, when both the brothers are in a mountainous zone, they make a bet where Yussef is challenged to fire at a bus travelling on a path way below the point at which they are positioned. Being totally oblivious of the repercussions, Yussef fires at the bus! It is only later do they realize that there is no way for them to escape from the effects of their reckless act. (2) The second story deals with the US based married couple Richard and Susan, who are striving to re-discover their marriage by having a tour of Morocco. Susan gets seriously wounded by the bullet fired by Yussef, but owing to various diplomatic and political factors she is deprived of prompt medical attention. That the media of Morocco projects this as an act of terrorism is the primary reason for the above delay in providing medical care. (2) The third narrative of Babel is focused on Amelia, who is the housekeeper of Susan and Richard. Before both of them leave for Morocco, Amelia is assigned the responsibility of taking care of the couple’s two kids prior to the arrival of Susan’s sister. The sister does not reach on time, and Amelia needs to start for Mexico for attending the marriage of her son. Finally, she takes the children along with her to Mexico. And during the return journey, many hindrances manifest at the US – Mexican Border, with regard to entry of the kids into the US. (2) The fourth and final story is about the deaf & mute Chieko, a lady of Japan, who is relentlessly combating her handicap, and is also bogged down by strong feelings pertaining to the death of her mother. Though this story is not strongly connected to the other three, yet, Chieko could be considered as the most powerful character of the entire movie. (2) Style of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu: Disjointed or Unique? Alejandro’s narrative style evokes varied responses from diverse quarters, with some lauding the filmmaker for adhering to an unique style, while the others criticizing him for including many plots that just confuse the audience. Some viewers, despite maintaining their stand on the numerous confusing plots, also state that Alejandro’s movies provide a thorough understanding of the diverse facets of human existence. Certain sections of the audience argue that, the performances by the cast in Gonzalez’s films are so excellent that they have no issues with the numerous plots that are not convincingly connected. (3) There is another aspect of the filmmaker’s narrative style warranting a thorough appreciation. He provides an extensive insight into the varied aspects of the places against whose backdrop the story is narrated. For instance, in the above-mentioned movies the audience is provided a comprehensive knowledge of the state of affairs in the US, Mexico and Morocco. (3) There are many more aspects elaborating on the filmmaking pattern of Gonzalez, and all of which cannot be encompassed in this essay, which needs to focus more on comparing both the movies and coming out with an apt analysis. To put the matter in a nutshell, there is no denying of the fact that the filmmaker adheres to a style that is not in conformity with the accepted standards and norms. And it is a universal truth encompassing all realms that, when someone attempts to be innovative and rejects the accepted stereotypes, they definitely are confronted by criticisms emanating from conformists. (3) It can be concluded by stating that, notwithstanding some shortcomings such as confusing plots, overall, Alejandro is managing to make films that strongly appeal to the sensibility of the audience. Also, his work is par excellence when realistically depicting the subtle human emotions through the characters, leaving no scope for exaggerated melodrama, as is the case with movies going with established conventions. Comparison and Analysis Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu considers his three films, Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel as pertaining to a trilogy, with the three movies being made in the same order as they are mentioned here. In this essay, the comparison would be involving Amores Perros and Babel. (4) To begin with, the striking similarity between Amores Perros and Babel is, the first part of both the movies begins with different stories that get connected to a single main plot, during the second half. Another aspect common in both the films is that, none of the main characters are totally negative. It is just that, owing to some circumstances, or in a fit of emotion, they indulge in acts deviating from both the accepted morality and also the law. For instance, in Amores Perros, the decision of Susana and Octavia to elope from the place might be against relevant ethical norms. But the justification for it is that, the presence of the heartless Ramiro left his wife and brother with no other choice other than fleeing away from the place. Similarly, in Babel, the bet made by Ahmed and Yussef compels the latter in taking an impulsive decision on the spur of the moment. In that state of mind, Yussef fires at the bus, solely to display his prowess as a sharpshooter, and not to cause any bodily harm to the passengers. Coming to the aspect of differences in both the movies, the most prominent one is that, Amores Perros focuses on issues that are purely regional, whereas Babel emphasizes on issues of worldwide relevance. (4) To elaborate further, the issues of domestic hardship, dog fighting and the way opted for making quick money, etc, as narrated by Amores Perros, in the story of Octavia and Susana, is totally related to the regional factors. Likewise, the issue of immigration that is focused on by Babel, through the story of Amelia, is now highly relevant on a global basis, owing primarily to the rise in terrorism. Owing to all these, it could be conveniently inferred that the movie Babel is more relevant to the contemporary scenario, than Amores Perros. Next, it would be of immense help in understanding that all the characters are strongly connected to the social, economic and political factors of the society in which they dwell. As a matter of fact, most of their (characters’) actions result from the circumstances that are directly linked to the aforesaid factors. It would not be an exaggeration in maintaining that the way the characters progress in the movie can be best comprehended, only when an apt understanding is developed of the circumstances prevalent in the respective societies. This point can be better understood by observing a couple of examples from the movies. In Amores Perros, the story of Valeria and Daniel speaks volumes about the fact that in higher circles of the society, it is just success and prosperity that is worshipped. The moment a person becomes incapable of attaining further growth owing to some unfortunate occurrence, they are just heartlessly ignored and all their past achievements are quickly forgotten. The question of lending a helping hand to this person does not arise in that topmost rung of society, where materialism is the dominant force. Hence, this story of the model and publisher is strongly related to the higher social segment – the segment where human emotions are of no value! Similarly, the story of Amelia, in Babel, is strongly related to the heightened security concerns, which are the order of the day in this contemporary post September 11th 2001 world. During the journey back to the US, when the children of Richard and Susan need to re-enter the US, Amelia is confronted with serious problems at the border. A thorough appreciation of this story is possible only when the audience views it in light of the modern global scenario of rise in terrorism. The above examples strongly emphasize on the aspect that the characters of both Amores Perros and Babel are highly relevant to the circumstances surrounding them (characters). As a matter of fact, both these movies, apart from displaying wonderful performances from the cast, also enable the viewers in obtaining an in-depth knowledge of varying socio-economic and political situations in the different regions, against whose backdrop they (movies) have been made. Relevance of the Movies in the Present-day Scenario As Babel was released in the year 2006, which is nearer to the contemporary period, it is but obvious that this movie is more relevant to the present-day globe, than Amores Perres. The aspect of international security that has now attained more importance, in light of acts of terrorists, is presented in an effective manner in the story of Amelia. This story projects the hardships that even law-abiding people are compelled to undergo because of these enhanced security concerns, too. In fact, even all other stories of Babel are equally applicable in the modern-day society. The fit of emotion in which Yussef recklessly fires at the bus speaks about general mindset of youngsters, and the same is a universal phenomenon. Of course, in case of a youngster in an advanced society, as a result of challenge from the peers, the act could be driving an automobile at a neck break speed, instead of rifle shooting. Whether it is driving or firing, the underlying emotion of reckless spontaneity of youngsters is present in all societies and at all times. Likewise, the issue of marital discord covered in the story of Richard and Susan, and the struggle of handicapped individuals presented in the narrative of Chieko, are related to all regions of the planet. Similarly, even Amores Perros, despite being released a decade back, is also quite relevant to the modern World. The various human aspirations, sentiments, among others, depicted in the movie have been in existence almost since life originated on this planet. The objective of Octavia to earn quick money, the emotionally deprived Susana, the relevance of family presented in Chivo’s story, to cite a few, are all things that are timeless. As stated earlier, the only difference is that the actions aimed at addressing all the aforesaid aspects could vary, depending on both the regional factors and also the related point of time. But the basic emotions propelling various acts of individuals are just one and the same. Views of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Alejandro, through both these movies, has effectively conveyed the manner in which some compelling circumstances force people in acting in a particular way. He also subtly conveys that most of the people cannot be categorized as either good or bad, and that they just do things dictated by the factors surrounding them. For instance, whether Octavia and Susana were right in deciding to elope is a highly debatable question, but the fact is that they were compelled to think in those terms solely because of the highly unpleasant conditions engulfing them. And the same is the case with the reckless act of Yussef, where he shoots at the bus. Also, Alejandro opines that in this present day world driven by materialism, various human emotions are being ridiculed at, and they (emotions) are rated as hindrances to prosperity. He strongly disagrees with all that, and hence attempts at apt projection of all the vital emotions in his movies. (4) The filmmaker, through both the movies, subtly focuses on the state of affairs in both the US and also Mexico. He almost vehemently condemns the paranoia of the US resulting from acts of terrorism of 2001, stating that a vast number of innocent people are being needlessly inconvenienced in excess, and in some cases even victimized. Alejandro emphasizes on the fact that the tougher contemporary immigration regulations are even going to the extent of repeatedly humiliating law-abiding individuals. He also adds that, owing to them (immigration rules), countless citizens of Mexico are dying an untimely death in Mexican deserts. The moviemaker shifts the focus also on to the fact that, when compared with its prosperous neighbor (USA), the issue of poverty is still quite rampant in Mexico, and this is leaving the people with limited choices of existence. SOURCES 1) “Amores Perros (Love’s a Bitch)”, reelviews.net/movies/a/amores.html, Internet, James Berardinelli, 2001. 2) “Babel – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu”, culturazzi.org/review/cinema/babel-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu, Internet, Stephanie Lundahl, February 7th 2010. 3) “User Comments”, apps.metacritic.com//movie/usercomments.jsp?id_string=4538:H1Q1TYncF4MXF63v6mf1fw**, Internet, User Comments Babel, ND. 4) “MOVIEMAKER”, moviemaker.com/directing/article/alejandro_gonzlez_irritu_shaker_of_souls_3386/, Internet, Jessica Hundley, September 22nd 2006. Read More