If you want to be understood………Listen

A small child hiding away from his brother under a mountain rock to give himself some momentary pleasure,
A young but already separated couple taking a tour together and still thinking why they are together again,
A deaf and mute girl with extreme s-e-x-ual desires imputable to others' rejections,
And so many other small things which are so true, so real.
That’s Babel.

Last weekend I saw Babel (Hollywood, 2006), starring Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett. I saw it not because I am a Brad or Cate fan, but more because of it’s outstanding performance at international film awards ceremonies. And as because I had read in advance that this movie has won 15+ international awards, I had to feel the class too. (B’coz I wanted to convince myself that I understand movies too. Does it happen to you too?) And yes, it was in one of my favorite theater ‘Nandan’, Kolkata, India.

The film looks at relationships, from husband/wife, parent/children, brother/sister and plays around the themes of love in adversity. I will like to mention few incidents from the movie to point out few things about us.

Two some 10-12 years old brothers in the deserts of Morocco quarrelling over the newest .270 caliber rifle which their father bargained. The elder being elder tries it out first but is not as skillful as the younger one. Their decision to check the long distance hitting capabilities of the rifle shows the inner intellect of a young mind, the curiosity, the excitement the young ones have. And just in the course they aim at a tourist bus to see if it reaches it. They are disappointed. We all love to judge things, we all love to judge people.

Some where in US, a maid is nursing the two young kids scared of some past brutal incident. The tenderness the lady shows to the kids makes you feel blessed and you can’t help think of your childhood, putting your head on the lap of your mother. Eyes wet already?

Cate feels something on her neck. It’s bleeding, bleeding heavily. Oh my god. It’s a gun-shot. The bus stops and everyone starts showing the panic. But no one comes out to help. People love showing their empathising-careness but are found castrate when needed to act. Don’t we see such people everywhere around us?

A deaf and mute girl in a modern city of Japan is affectionate to a young but raunchy lad. And as soon as he is aware of the disability he behaves stranger again. We want people to be perfect but we forget the fact that no one is perfect. We all need to look into mirrors daily. The girl’s frustration drives her to give away with her pan-ty and debunk. People dare do things they are not comfortable with, not comfortable at all. But they still do it to tell them self that they are no less then others. And they feel it’s fun until it turns fatal.

The younger brother is spying on her sister changing clothes out of an agreed hole in the wall. The elder brother warns but is pushed back with the reply “What’s your problem? She doesn’t mind it either.” This kind of spying is not uncommon, it happens very often around us. Though it’s not always with this much of mutual consent but it happens, it does. Why? To some it is fun to cross the taboos and enjoy the momentary pleasures. And the same is revealed with that under-the-mountain-rock act.

The tensed couple somehow manages to reach a nearby village but the rest of the group members feel scared of entering, for the people are termed ‘terrorists’. I wonder how it is that one person’s act causes ill-fame to the entire mass. And then comes an old stranger lady’s care ness. The care lets you feel that people have beautiful hearts and are very caring from inside. People can’t see others suffering and few feel it is god’s act to heal other’s pain. Hats off to those honest NGOs.

The maid has to go to attend her son’s marriage but faces difficulty in finding someone to take care of the two kids and hence takes themselves with her. They enter Mexico. The kid asks, “Is it Mexico? I have heard it’s not safe”. Why are we taught these things so early in our childhood? Iraqis are terrorists. Americans are not faithful. Indians are conservatives. And so many other things. While the newly wed couple is cutting the cake, the lady is embracing an old strange in a separate room. Loneliness again. It drives you to do things you are not proud of, not proud at all.

Cate’s neck is stitched with needle to stop the blood from flowing. The pain makes her unmovable and she confesses of peeing in her pants. She wishes to do it again. Brad takes off her inners and makes her pee in a cooking pan, while she is resting on his arms. They embrace, embrace in fear of losing each other. But they hold each other tight. No matter whatever drove you to separate (god forbids) with your loved ones, your heart IS always connected. It will always care for your ex-spouses, ex-husbands, ex-friends even if you don’t let them know it.

Other tourists’ arguments to move asap, angry fight and then the silent departure from the place leaving behind the couple alone. People don’t like to be in the wet shoes for a long time. Everyone prefers being out of other’s troubles.

The mute girl’s act of attracting the police officer by daring naked and thinking it may attract her the pleasure. But it turns frustrating b’coz the officer knows it’s not ethical and resists. She cries, cries loud. The crying on the shoulder limns the inner confession, the guilt we feel after doing any thing wrong. If someone does anything wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, we need to understand his/her inner state at that time. We need to understand what made that happen and then we need to act to counsel that person so that it is not repeated. We need to empathize not discard.

The killing of the elder brother in police encounter drives the younger boy to rip the bloody rifle brutally. His innocence drives him to his confession towards the policemen, ”It was me who shot. My brother is innocent. Save him please. Save him please.” We love your family, we all. And at times we made sacrifices for our families, not because it will make them happy but because it gives happiness to us too that we could do something.

Brad & Cate are taken to a hospital by support (at last) from the local government. She is out of danger and is pictured on TV all over the country describing how she survived the ‘terrorist attack’. What a headline.

It is an old saying that “The grass is always greener on the other side.” I would add, “And when the grasses start dying, the greener sides die first and then all looks the same. Everyone worried, everyone helpless.” You never know what is there in life for you to face, how brutal, how pain-staking. The moment you start feeling that everything is fine, everything is under control something or the other hits you from nowhere. But all you have to do is to have faith in yourself, have courage in yourself to fight it and fight loud. I do, I try to. You?

These are just few incidents that I have scrapped here and there were so many more, with some truly great messages.

I remember after the show ended, I stayed in my seat for 5-10 minutes until I heard someone say, “It’s all over.” I smiled and replied, “It is Never. It goes on and that is life.” No wonder if he stared at me after that.

I wondered what is meant by the title ‘Babel’. I googled and found that it means “A scene of noise and confusion”. True, both were present throughout the movie. And the both are present in everyone’s life; every time, every moment.

The tag line of this movie is “If you want to be understood………Listen”. True We need to learn to listen, not just listen to others but also to our inner-self. We shall ask our selves, What I am doing is right? Is this what I should do? Is that justice? Is that me?

I am sure I will remember this movie for a very long time. Frame by frame.

Lesson learnt: No matter how prepared you are, you should be ready to face. Ready to face life.

All the best!