Mexican Film Maker's Concepts of the Movies Bible and 21 Grams - Movie Review Example

21 Grams and Bible – Analyzing the Reflection of Director Thoughts Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director. He is the first Mexican film maker to be nominated for Academic Award for Best Director (Stewart, p49). He has directed some very successful and popular movies like Amores perros, 21 Grams and Babel whereas he has also announced the premier of his upcoming film Biutiful in 2010 (Locke, p114). Being a Mexican director, he possesses a distinctive approach towards the depiction of ideas and philosophies through his films. His movies specially focus upon the issues related with the historical backgrounds and problems of the nations and ethnic communities. The portrayal of varied nature of problems and challenges in the movies indicate his impressive storytelling style (McCormack, p69). González Iñárritu uses to reflect his perceptions about Mexico, USA as well as about the entire world in his movies and strives to share his emotions and feelings with the audiences regarding the Mexican and American society in the context of international politics (DeLashmutt, p493). In his movies 21 Grams and Babel also, the story revolves around the people of different nations confronting different challenges. These movies have been created in the backdrop of some specific geographical and historical facts that have ultimate effects upon the lives of the people living in these countries (Stewart, p49). The internal struggles, feelings, emotions and perceptions of people of different nationalities and social classes are also impressively captured in these movies (McCormick, p44). The following essay aims to analyze two popular movies directed by González Iñárritu in order to compare the messages delivered by the director in these movies. The essay compares 21 Grams and Babel and examines how the director has used these movies as platform to tell people about his perceptions about the American where he used to live and work for several years. At the same time, the movies also tell about his perception about his own Mexican world where he was born and spent major portion of his life. The essay points out the connection between the two worlds and two societies that he has explained through the plots of these two movies. The entire discussion aims to discuss the importance and relevance of the director’s ideas conveyed in these movies in the perspective of the world politics of the current era. 21 Grams and Babel – Main Themes and Issues 21 grams (2003) by Alejandro González Iñárritu is a complicated film that required keen observation and understanding to get the director’s point; nevertheless the movie is outstanding and deserves to be seen. The director Alejandro González Iñárritu has developed a complex and cinematic piece that deals with some common but intricate phenomenon related with the social lives of the people. There are some different stylistic influences on this film from Pulp Fiction (1994) by Quentin Tarantino and La double vie de Véronique (1991) by Krzysztof Kieslowski. González Iñárritu has proficiently transformed an ordinary everyday issue in a strange, tangled and puzzling drama. 21 Grams is a drama movie released in 2003 that tells the stories of the people before and after an automobile accident. The film basically depicts the past, present and future of the main characters and thus captures different incidents through the story that entwines different time frames. The movie reflects the ideas and thoughts of hope, courage, and humanity and motivates people to remain indomitable for their survival and freedom (McCormack, p69). The story tells how the lives of the people are utterly change due to some unexpected incidents after which they got the opportunity to understand and experience some of their intense feeling and emotions for each other like love, revenge, sympathy and support for redemption. (McCormack, p69) The movie basically describes the car accident that not only affected the physical well being of the sufferers but also changed their emotions and feelings and gave them more depth and meaningfulness. The unexpected accident changed the lives of the main characters of the movies and took them towards the point where they became able to experience the truth and reality behind their emotions for each others. (DeLashmutt, p493) The story tells about a sick mathematician waiting for a heart transplant as the last resort to survive; an ex-con trying to make a new clean life for him and his family; a family father taking care of his daughters. Tragedy and fate reunite all these elements into a griping tale. Main actress and actors in the film perform greatly. Sean Penn as Paul Rivers, as the feeble hearted mathematician, is able to express and transmit the anguish of nearly dying man (DeLashmutt, p493). The life stories of these different couples have been described in the movies that are confronting different type of emotional and social challenges. The first couple is a college professor Paul River and his wife Mary. The couple is going through intricate emotional struggle because the husband is mortally ill and heading for a heath transplant whereas the wife wishes to become pregnant through artificial insemination. Another couple is Critina Peck and his husband Michael living with their two daughters and spending a life full of joys, amusements and hope. The third couple is ex-con Jack Jordan and his wife Marianne that are going through tough phases of their lives where they have to struggle hard for arranging livelihood for their two children (Wall, p44). All the couples are facing quite different familial, social and economic situations and their feelings and perceptions about the lives were also determined by the situations they have been placed in. The different situations being faced by these couple generate different emotions and feelings among them like hope, joy, sympathy, love, struggle and courage. The non linear description of the incidents in the movie allows the director to capture the attention of the audience through a unique narrative structure that weaves together different segments of time and space. (Corliss, p65) The characters of the movies came together met at one point after the tragic car crash that utterly changed the lives of all of these people and compelled them towards the position where they have to decide the new dimensions for their lives (McCormack, p69). The movie deals with the subjects of life and death and discusses the complex phenomenon of death as the biggest reality of life. (McCormack, p69) González Iñárritu raises some questions about the life of the people after the death and compels the audience to think what all the people will do when they will be dying and after the death what would be the final destination. It also raises the questions about the inevitability of death and shows the concerns people generally use to have about their beloved ones after their deaths. From this perspective, the main theme of the movie seems the depiction of eternity and life after the death however, the life stories of the couples portrayed in the move tells much more about the lives of the people that are spent in the shadows of fear of death (Locke, p114). On the other hand, Bible is the Best Director Award winning international drama movie that basically tells four stories that are set in four different countries during different time frames. The plots of these stories have been prepared in four countries including Morocco, Japan, US and Mexico (Stewart, p49). Like Crash (2004) by Paul Haggis, this film screams out a message that attempts to break or at least go through many barriers of fear, prejudice and ignorance created between different nations and cultures in particular by the media and world politics. Crash (2004) by Paul Haggis and Babel (2006) by Alejandro González Iñárritu has the same supporters because both of these films make the audience to think similar things. To anyone who has to deal with prejudice and stereotypes on daily basis this film is very personal (Wall, p44). Babel is a multi narrative drama that depicts some of the thoughts commonly found in 21 Grams like hope, life struggle and courage (Stewart, p49). However, in this movie, the director has taken quite different approach to portray these themes and issues. The main focus of Babel remains towards the differences in the life stories of people in the context of their different nationalities and locations. The direction, film making and acting is of very high quality. The actors were brilliant, starting with the children who are both Moroccan and American children and the Moroccan interpreter through to Brad Pitt as Richard Jones. Especially, Brad Pitt’s acting in two particular scenes in this film is excellent. The film has been shot in three different countries that are thousands of miles and cultures apart: Mexico, Morocco and Japan. There are four different languages also used in the movie to truly represent the culture of each of these countries and nations including English, Moroccan dialect, Standard Arabic, Mexican and Japanese. The film industriously succeeds in passing on a strong cultural flavor of the above three corners of the story. One very extraordinary aspect of the film is the fact that the two sides of a one single event are not presented concurrently or at the same time. The movie is widely regarded as a great and significant attempt to present the truth and right message in front of the viewers. The movie grippingly tells the story of an American visiting Morocco along with his wife. The couple was trying to work out their mutual differences however during the visit they became part of a tragic incident along with a Moroccan farmer and his family. Another scene tells the story of a San Diego nanny who decided to attend a wedding in Mexico along with the kids of that couple. A Japanese deaf girl is also shown hardly dealing with her father and the entire world. The girl and her father were struggling hard to manage their personal and social lives after the death of her mother. All these people living at different places and facing quite different situations were bound together simply through a gun (Stewart, p49). In broader perspective, the movie warns about the consequences and horrors of terrorism and violent in the context of cross border communication and immigration. The farmer purchased a rifle to safeguard his chattels from the jackals. The farmer’s son tested the rifle and accidently shot the American woman who was sitting in the bus along with her husband. The press portrayed the incident as terrorist attack on the American tourist. Their kids were travelling towards Mexico with the Nanny and faced problem while coming back whereas the gun that shot women dead was formerly possessed to the Japanese father and his deaf daughter. They were contacted by the police regarding the gun when the family was already facing miserable situations due to several issues (McCormick, p44). The movie tells a well weaved story in quite interesting manner and proceeds discussing several side issues like the depression after rejection, problem of cross border moves, prejudiced behaviours against certain groups, miseries of losing the beloved ones and trying to reconciliation with the partner in hope for a well settle and happy family life (McCormick, p44). Comparative Analysis of 21 Grams and Babel The analysis of the plots and underlying themes of both of these movies allows the examination of similarities and differences in the thoughts and ideas conveyed by the director in these two movies. There are some differences identified in the approaches of the director in depicting his thinking about certain issues. At the same time, there are some commonness also found in the creation of the plots of these stories and the issues conveyed by the stories. The major theme of 21 Grams appears to be the eternal life and struggles of people in managing the livelihood for their families. Babel however, is more concerned with the problems that people face in different phases of their life due to different type of issues and situations. González Iñárritu has talked about the Mexican society and the problem of immigration to US in Babel. In this movie he has interestingly portrayed the lives of the American, Moroccan Japanese and Mexican families that indicate his observations about the lifestyle of the people of different nationalities. It is revealed that Babel is more focused upon describing the differences in the life and problems of the people of different people and families and 21 Grams is more directed towards discussing the internal feeling about eternal life and death regardless of the nationality etc. The analysis unveils that the movie 21 Grams is mainly concerned with the depiction of the internal and external struggles exercised by the people for the attainment of varied types of goals in their lives. The movie shows how people belonging to different social classes and professions use to have different type of emotions and relationships that shape their lives and set the future directions for themselves. Both of the movies show people moving in different societies and classes however, the main focus of 21 Gram is not dominantly the portrayal of differences of the basis of nationalities and historical realities but it mainly deals with the issues of life, death, hope and struggle. Babel is dominantly led by the motive of describing the situations of the people of different nations due to which it could be said that the major theme of the movie is to show the differences in the lives, problems and perceptions of the people living in different parts of the world that use to face entirely different types of circumstances. 21 Grams is merely concerned with the problem and perceptions of all the human beings without exploring their differences on the basis of their nationalities. The comparison of these two movies affirm that González Iñárritu has proficiently used the plots of these two movies for the exposure of his experiences, observations and thinking about the lives of different societies where he has lived and worked. This reflection affirm that he has keen eye upon all the problems and issues that are commonly faced by the people while living at these places as well as when they move from one place to another. He shows the inadequacy of border entrance system to raise voice for the simplification of the process so that the lives of the people would not be ruined due to unfair barriers in the entry to any land. The entire discussion could be sum up with the conclusion that both of these movies are excellent example of well knitted stories that interlink people of different classes, nationalities, age groups and disabilities in one thread and make a logical connection between them. Every loop of this expertly interweaved story uncovers a serious and importance issue in front of the audience as well as the authorities. González Iñárritu has not simply directed and co authored these films to tell the stories but these movies are his significant attempts to discuss certain important issues, prejudiced opinions and problems in the context of cultural differences. In sum, through the movies 21 Grams and Babel González Iñárritu has not simply presented some stories and plots but he has provided food for thought to the audience and compels them to think about wide array of issues and challenges existing in their surrounding environment however, he insists upon looking at these issues from different angles and provide new insight over the common issues and problem. Work Cited Corliss, Richard (2007). Brilliance beyond the Border. Time; 2/12/2007, Vol. 169 Issue 7, p65-65 DeLashmutt, Michael W (2007). Breaking the Ties that Bind: A Review of Babel. Political Theology, Oct2007, Vol. 8 Issue 4, p493-496 Locke, Richard (2007). Globalization and Its Discontents: the directors of "Babel" and "Caché" tell complex stories of families caught in ever-expanding worlds. American Scholar; Spring2007, Vol. 76 Issue 2, p114-117 McCormick, Patrick (2007). BABEL. U.S. Catholic; May2007, Vol. 72 Issue 5, p44-44 McCormack (2008), Film Review Babel, Contemporary Justice Review, Mar2008, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p69-70 Stewart, Michael (2007). Irresistible Death: 21 Grams as Melodrama. Cinema Journal; Fall2007, Vol. 47 Issue 1, p49-69, 21p Wall, James M. (2007). Film picks. Christian Century; 1/23/2007, Vol. 124 Issue 2, p44-45 Read More