Babylon (2022)

“You ever been on a movie set before? You’ll see, it’s the most magical place in the world.”

-Jack Conrad, Babylon (2022)

A vivid and visceral re-imagining of the film industry in the 1920’s, Damien Chazelle’s, Babylon (2022), is a rare metaphysical masterpiece that delivers an exhilarating experience from start to finish. Babylon, which released yesterday (December 23, 2022), features show-stopping performances from Margot Robbie (Nelly LeRoy), Brad Pitt (Jack Conrad), and arguably the most compelling actor in the film, Diego Calva (Manny Torres). The film centers on four main characters whose lives become inexplicably intertwined; A Jersey girl trying to follow her Hollywood dreams (Robbie), a seasoned actor at the peak of his career (Pitt), a man who happened to stumble into show business, and a talented trumpet player fighting for his music to be heard (Sydney Palmer played magnificently by Jovan Adepo). I believe that including all these different perspectives in the film gives it great depth and emotion in connection to the overall theme, which is two-part. Part one highlights the disparity between the high expectations in show business (i.e. The American Dream) and the harsh, disappointing reality. The darker side of show business is front and center of this film - it’s a side that has always existed and still exists today. Part two illustrates the true magic of filmmaking, showcasing its rare ability to preserve a human spirit (a ghost or angel as they refer to in the film) in time. It is the idea that film allows its creators to become immortal through their works. In one of the early scenes of the film, Manny and Nelly share in this exchange which I believe captures the main theme of Babylon:

N: If you could go anywhere in the whole world, where would you go?

M: I’ve always wanted to be a part of something bigger.

N: I love that answer!

M: Something that lasts... something that means something. Something more important than life.

For myself, and many artists of all different types, the idea of creating something that could outlast you - that could positively impact and inspire future generations - is something that drives many of us; It gives our lives purpose. Throughout my life and career, I have seen many old films that have affected me profoundly. I always found it magical that filmmakers had found a way to capture a moment in time and freeze it, to be experienced and enjoyed again and again.

Where Babylon really triumphs is not in its showing of the glamor, but the grit beneath the fingernails of Hollywood’s most elite. Chezelle does not sugarcoat the life of America’s silent film stars; he airs out their vulnerability and humanity for all the world to see. The heart racing pace of show business is made particularly palpable in Babylon, intensified by chaotic jazz trumpeting in the soundtrack and the first person close ups that insert the viewer directly into the scene. Many sequences are a whirlwind - some might say fever-dream-esque - but never at the sacrifice of quality storytelling. I sense that great attention to detail was paid to each and every scene, including the unbelievable opening sequence which features a massive debaucherous gathering of epic proportions.

Babylon is an emotional roller coaster, earning its title as a comedy/drama because it is light hearted and meaningful, while maintaining an undeniable realness that shakes the viewer to their core. I particularly enjoyed the scene where the film company (Kinescope or MGM) is trying to film a scene with sound for the first time, and it isn’t going well. In this scene, Chevelle illustrates how sound revolutionized the film industry, while simultaneously destroying many of the stars of the silent film era. That was the reality of technology’s evolution. The dark-comedy element of the film is conveyed brilliantly in this scene, where Robbie’s character is met with the challenges of filming a sound film in a studio. After a bunch of takes being ruined by ridiculous occurrences - such as a sneeze or LeRoy missing her mark - the director finally gets the winning take and the whole crew celebrates. It’s not until several minutes later they realize the camera man has died from being trapped in a small trailer that he begged them to let him out of. The movie hovers on this moment for a beat, then coasts forward before the viewer has time to process.

Babylon, which translates to, “A gate of the Gods,” in Akkadian, is most famously known to be an ancient city in Mesopotamia, regarded by the Greeks for its magnificence, yet seen unfavorably by Christianity as a city of false gods, materialism, and wickedness. It was a prosperous city, but also a place where humans were punished by God for trying to be Gods themselves. The duality inherent in this definition clearly fits the premise of Babylon when viewed through the lens of old Hollywood filmmaking. The richest and most famous in Hollywood were seen as Gods, when in reality they acted more like devils. But is this duality inherent to human nature? What would you be willing to do for your dream?

Babylon (2022) is full of many ideas to ponder, all best experienced in person, at the movies. It is a movie about movies, for pete’s sake! What makes it unique is the real human stories that undercut the fantastical ones. Fair warning, this film will run you through the ringer of human emotion and is well worthy of its R-rating. But if you are a lover of movies, and storytelling with great depth and emotion, this film is well worth a watch. Despite the darker sides that undercut the human experience, there is still magic in the movies - this film is proof.

5/5 STARS