Unlike Toy Story, I can’t say this is a “perfect trilogy”. These movies do have their flaws. The thing that make’s these movies so good is that the flaws are few and far between. This is not your ordinary trilogy. It is not on a line like the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. They don’t have similar characters in different settings like Indiana Jones or any comic book trilogy. What makes this a trilogy is the way they are directed and written. Every film centers itself around 3 characters’ that represent a different view on a human concept. The other similarity is that each film as one small aspect that connects all three characters directly. Don’t get me wrong; this is not the same film over and over again. They are all presented in a different way; and although they all have the same “out of chronological” directing style, they all feel very different and apart and at the same time, one relates to each of the 9 characters the exact same way.
Amores Perros is a film about love. 3 characters that represent love in a different way that are all met together by a car crash. In the first story, the main character (Gael Garcia Bernel) falls in love with his brothers’ wife because his brother is abusing her and he wants to do anything he can to give her the life she deserves. In an attempt to make enough money to flee town, he enters in dog fighting competition. He ends up wrapping his head so far around the crime he forgets himself and he ends up forgetting the real meaning of his love. The second story revolves around a man that give’s up his family for the love of his girlfriend. His girlfriend is a model, whom is very beautiful, popular, and famous. His girlfriend is then involved in a car crash (Crash movie that connects the 3 characters) and loses her looks and becomes a totally different person. This shows the sacrifices you live with when you turn on love for selfish love. The third story is about a homeless man who gave up a life with his daughter to become a Guerrilla. He then uses his life to take care of homeless dogs and puts his love in all the things he can since he turned his back on the reality. This shows that you have a responsibility to the things you love no matter what decisions you made in your past. This film is excting, engaging, and the film gets the message across in a very impactful way. This is easily the best of the series. The directing is perfect and the story will bring you to your knees. However, the second story does get a little confusing as to what the resolve is going to be and is a little more vague than the other two. There also isn’t the jaw dropping acting that the other two films use to draw you in. However, that being said, this film is not to be missed.
9.3/10
21 Grams is a film about death. This film is different than Amores Perros in the way that the characters are personally connected. One story is about man (Sean Penn) who has a condition with his heart and needs a transplant. The second story is about a man (Benecio Del Toro) who has been in and out of trouble all his life and has now found Jesus and is trying to make his life with the law and his family right. The third story is about a woman (Naomi Watts) who has a wonderful family of 4 ( Her, her husband, and 2 daughters) whose family dies in a tragic accident that involves Benecio Del Toro. After the death of her husband, she opts to give up his heart for a donation. Penn’s character receives the heart and lives. He then gets too involved with Watt’s life and makes some rash decisions that lead to his painful demise. Watt’s character represents the outcome of a tradgic death, Del Toro represents the giver of death, and Penn’s character represents death itself. If it seems as if I’ve given too much away, trust me, I haven’t. This movie is filled with twists and turns that will really blow you away. The message is just a strong as Amores Perros however, it didn’t seem to come off as strong because the characters all become a part of each other lives instead of staying separate like the other 2 films. This film is probably the best directed. This is seen by the way it can jump from the past to the future over and over again with 3 different stories without losing you. The acting is superb as Benicio Del Toro blew me away once again. The only real flaw is that the message is not a gripping. Even though it is about death, we don’t seem to be as floored as we were for love. Also, it goes from being 3 stories to 1 story and has to rely on a final monologue by Sean Penn to explain exactly what went on. This element makes the film a little Hollywood and drive’s it to be the least of the 3 other films. Other than that this is a great film, though I would suggest you watch it 3rd instead of 2nd.
7.9/10
Babel is a film about communication. The title of this film has the most significance to the story than the other one’s. The title is taken from the tower of Babel or the confusion of languages. The first story is about a two American tourists (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett) taking a trip in the Middle East on a tour bus full of people from other nationalities and races. So, when he is trying to find medical help for this wife after she is shot, he finds himself unable to communicate with the locals and the people on the bus. The second story is about two Middle Eastern boys that shoot at the bus carrying the other two characters and accidentally injure Cate Blanchett. Unlike the other 2 films where our main characters all live in the same area; the third story in this film is about an Asian girl from China. This girl is just trying to live a normal life after the tragic death of her mother. The communication aspect comes not from the connection between her and the characters in the Middle East. Her communication aspect of the film comes from the fact that she is deaf and mute. The only connection she has to the other 4 characters is that her father gave the Middle Eastern boys’ father the gun they used to shoot at the bus. This movie also seems to have a side story. The nanny of Brad Pitt’s children defies his wishes and takes the children across the border for her son’s wedding. This happens to be the most intense of the 4 stories because it shows that no matter how good of a person you are, if you make one wrong decision in your communication, it could ruin you forever. This film is easily the second best of the trilogy. The acting incredible, the story is gripping, and the message is portrayed beautifully. However, the Nanny story really doesn’t seem to have as much to do with communication as the other 3. This may lose some people as to what is the full outright meaning of the film. The only other flaw is that the Asian girl has absolutely nothing to do with the other characters, and the way she is connected seems a little weak. Likewise, her story can confuse the viewer as to where the film is going. However, if you are like me and after you think about it and piece it together (and perhaps give it a second viewing), you will love this film as you will the others. This rounds out the trilogy in a perfect and satisfactory way. Now Inarritu can move on to greater things and inspire us with new concepts.
8.4/10
-Zack Tinsley
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