Babylon (2022) Review

"What happens on that screen means something"

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

This movie creates a new perspective of the film industry as it follows the rise of cinema, beginning in the 1920s, through the lives of three main protagonists (Manny Torres played by Diego Calva, Nellie LaRoy played by Margot Robbie and Jack Conrad played by Brad Pitt) as they attempt to rise and become successful in such a violent and unforgiving business. As it is such a long movie, there are so many different aspects to look at and so many themes it covers in order to emphasise the main message of the story, so of course to ensure this review isn't too long, I will only focus on my favourite parts.

Firstly, the acting. I believe Margot Robbie to be one of the most talented modern actors in our society, and would consider this to be one of her best performances yet. She perfectly demonstrates Nellie's desperation to escape her old, working class life through the arts with her impulsivity and manic behaviour in each scene. Furthermore, majority of her scenes are complimented by the amazing actor of Diego Calva, who plays a man who will do anything to work in film while also trying to maintain the relationship he has built with Nellie, to the point he tries to change who she is in order to keep her famous and 'relative' just so they can continue to work together. The chemistry the two of them have is captivating, and works perfectly to engross the audience into their doomed relationship as their priorities were clearly never each other, despite how they pretend they are.

In addition to the amazing acting, the way each scene is made is something that deserves to be mentioned. Each scene and sequence within the movie has a messy sort of feel to it, thus representing the downfall of the characters and the industry itself as the film progresses. For example, the character of Jack Conrad is demonstrated almost as a 'king' among Hollywood, until one bad movie leads to the end of his career and therefore the end of this life. The theme of drugs is used in this movie to highlight the ruined lives of the stars, similar to how many successful actors will turn to drugs in real life in order to deal with this new fame that they are not accustomed to. This was such a creative choice for Damien Chazelle, that I believed paid off perfectly.

The movie demonstrates how difficult it is to become successful in such a demanding and ruthless industry, which is shown to the audience through Nellie's monologue about how many casting directors would refuse to cast her as she was too short (something that she could barely change about herself) or too fat. It also shows how much easier it is to rise when you have contacts within film, especially during the 20s, and how it is nearly impossible to become successful without any connections therefore showing how unfair working in film can be.

Babylon consists of constant distressing scenes in order to further illustrate how messed up the cinematic industry is, and how easy it is to lose oneself (as shown through Nellie's debt to Tobey Maguire's character James McKay, a man who runs an underground 'circus' of sorts consisting of people who will never achieve success and have fallen to both his debt and to drugs).

Moreover, it demonstrates how easy it is to take for granted the movies we have now, with modern technology allowing us to create anything we want without it requiring the same time and effort that it used to, which is emphasised through the contrast of the montage at the beginning of the movie where we see how movies were made in the 20s against the montage at the end of the movies consisting of the development since this time, to the point we can create whole new species and worlds with our developed technology. This is further shown by how the audience in the 50s watch movies that mock the films of the 20s, as if that technology wasn't used in order to bring them the movies they love, and to bring us the movies we now love. It shows how easy it is to forget how these amazing films came to be what they are, and reminds us of the importance of each film, along with each and every person who is a part of the process, thus showing the value, significance and greatness of the cinematic industry.

Chazelle described this movie as a "love letter to cinema" and I believe that is truly what it is. It shows both the ugly side and the good side of movies, and of film-making, and emphasises the magic of cinema in every way possible.