Babylon

We gotta innovate. We gotta inspire. We gotta dream beyond these pesky shells of flesh and bone. Map those dreams onto celluloid and print them into history. Turn today into tomorrow so that tomorrow’s lonely man may look up at that flickering screen and say for the very first time, “Eureka! I am not alone!” This will be a classic in 5 years no doubt. Chazelle’s fourth film feels like a finale piece from a legendary director that has been in the business for decades. It’s inspiring how insanely talented he is and his love for filmmaking. The craft he brings is unmatched to any newcomer today. Babylon is a masterclass of examining nostalgia without rose tinted glasses and still being able to get encouraged by what has come before and for what’s to come. Babylon will not be everyone’s cup of tea but damn this is why I love films. Initially I kinda hated all of it. Hell the first 30 minutes gives some of the most whiplash (no pun intended) I have ever felt watching a film. Although my first impressions weren’t positive, I kept thinking about that ending everyday. There will be a ton of people who will despise the choices that Chazelle has given but in spite of that he has created an incoming cult classic that will be appreciated in the near future. The scale of this project is amazing and nothing else is made like this today. The performances are all bat shit insane, Hurwitz gives another great jazzy score, Tom Cross makes the 3 hour runtime feel quick with great montages and Linus Sandgren creates beautiful landscapes. Your time today is through, but… you’ll spend eternity with angels and ghosts There are still some problems I have with it but I think that will be a part of the charm. Chazelle was definitely heavily inspired by PTA with big ensembles. There are some scenes that feel straight from one of his scripts. Due to the absurdity of Babylon, it will be heavily rewatchable and I can’t wait for the next time I get sucked into this world. Film is not low art. It is timeless. Chazelle captures that idea and somehow manages to exemplify how a film can mean something to you. Something that words can’t describe. Something that even I can’t explain to others. How that feeling will last forever until the end of time. It was the most magical place in the world, wasn’t it.