Saturday, November 14, 2009

Is the movie Babel suitable for younger viewers??

Hello, I am taking my wife and 12-year old daughter to see the new movie Babel starring Brad Pitt.





Is this movie suitable for younger audiences? I'm mainly concerned about any possible sex scenes that may make the viewing uncomfortable for us.





Has anyone who's actually SEEN it clue me in on anything sexually inappropriate for a child in this movie? Thanks.








PS: I'm not really concerned about the violence, lauguage etc...





...and please don't suggest any other movies that are more suitable. We're either gonna see this one or do something else. :)

Is the movie Babel suitable for younger viewers??
In an odd addition to the story, one of the Berber shepherd's two sons regularly spies on his sister when she is changing clothes—with her knowledge and approval. The camera sees her bare back and a glimpse of the side of her breast through the peephole. The boy later hides behind a rock and lowers his pants; nothing is shown below the waist, but his movement and facial expressions reveal that he's masturbating.





Amelia dances with and later passionately kisses a man. A crude sexual joke is made at the wedding. Richard and the wounded Susan kiss passionately in a tender—but should have remained private—moment. (He's holding her to help her urinate.) Teen girls are seen in bras and panties in a locker room. One of Chieko's friends makes out intently with a guy at a club.





By far the most troubling sexual content in Babel involves Chieko herself. Though the teen's quest to find a man to have sex with is eventually and rightly revealed as dangerous and self-destructive, Iñárritu apparently believes we must see up her miniskirt when she removes her panties to flash a group of boys. He also wants us to watch as she licks her dentist's face and places his hand between her legs. (He immediately throws her out.) Later, fully nude, she exposes herself to another man (the camera looks on from the front and back) and places his hands on her breasts. (He also rejects her advance.)





The extent to which the director needlessly and shamelessly exposes a teen character's clearly troubled sexuality blurs the line between showing the sometimes self-destructive nature of grief and taking advantage of it. With a little restraint, Iñárritu could have communicated all of Chieko's desperate actions without reaching for the shock value of forcing her nudity (and, in a sense, her shame) on the viewer.


No comments:

Post a Comment