Babel's Inarritu Q & A

On the eve of the Toronto International Film Festival, here's the Q & A I did in Cannes with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu:

Mexican filmmaker and immigrant Inarritu had just returned from L.A.’s massive May 5 immigrants’ protest march when he spoke to me about his sprawling $25-million film. Shot in three countries, in four languages, “Babel” references the Biblical notion of many people speaking, but not able to communicate. But film uses images to reach people all over the globe. As Inarritu says, “Film is as close to Esperanto as it gets.”

The Hollywood Reporter: Had you been in Cannes before?
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu: Cannes has been very significant for me. With my first film “Amores perros” six years ago, at that time there was a guy who selected films in Latin America but none ever went into the competition. So my film went into Critic’s Week and won best film, and got a lot of attention. Life is wisdom. Playing the underdog made possible what happened in Cannes for me, when my career changed completely.

THR: Things have improved for Latin American cinema since then.
Inarritu: I am very happy. That has changed so much since 2000. Not only me, but Alfonso Cuaron, Carlos Rygadas, Guillermo Del Toro, have all changed the perception of Latin American film. Now there are two Mexican films in competition. What’s happening, funnily enough, is not the consequence of something political-cultural happening in my country. These are individual miracles happening at the same time, three individuals changing things.

THR: How did you manage to make such a challenging film with a studio distributor and still hang on to your freedom? <p>Inarritu: It’s four films set in three different countries with three to four big names and mostly non-actors. It’s very cheap, it’s basically a  self-financed independent film. We put everything together; I developed it myself. Producers Steve Golin and Jon Kilik helped. I had already cast the main cast and scouted locations when I presented “Babel” to the different studios. Brad Grey, the new president at Paramount, wanted to change the perception of the old studio. Paramount put up 50% for rights to distribute in American territories. I have control over every line, I have final cut. It’s been the same since “Amores perros.” I consider myself a lucky guy.

THR: How was working with movie star Brad Pitt, who was partnered with Grey at Plan B?
Inarritu: Of course he and Brad had a good relationship, but he was in before we signed up with Brad Grey. The whole experience was difficult—intense is the word I would use. Directing actors in another language is not easy at all. I thought for the American couple traveling through Morocco who are in an intense situation, sad, and personally emotional, Brad represented the American I needed for this story. It wasn’t the obvious choice: not, this is a Brad Pitt role. Normally in my choices I go against what your standard instinct would tell you. Art is transformation. It was challenging for Brad to leave Brad Pitt behind and become a fragile human being. That gets the adrenaline higher. He represents a wide range of American citizens; he’s an icon to play with, figure out and manage.

THR: You were also working with many non-actors?
Inarritu: To not only work with Brad and Cate [Blanchett] but humble village people and a little kid was crazy, crazy to try and penetrate their culture and tell their stories from their points-of-view. The four different languages are Arabic, English, Spanish, Japanese. I try to make it feel easy for the audience so it’s not a language barrier, it’s human beings talking.  It’s speaking English while trying to survive Babelism.

THR: How did you cast the unknowns in Morocco?
Inarritu: We announced it from a Mosque. We videotaped hundreds from different little villages who had never seen a camera in their lives. We had to teach them to perform. Dialogue coach and great actress Hiam Abbas translated for all the Moroccan non-actors. I relied on her, she was my right arm, telling them what to do. They used mimicry. It was an interesting process, without languages. We understood each other.

THR: Where did the Mexican story come from?
Inarritu: It’s a nanny taking care of two American kids [of the couple in Morocco] who has to cross the border. It’s a sad story inspired by a nanny working with me who told me so many sad stories. She’s played by Adriana Barraza, who played the mother of Gael [Garcia Bernal] in “Amores perros.” Gael plays her nephew here.

THR: What is “Babel” really about?
Inarritu: It’s about people trying to communicate across barriers and borders of language in different situations in third-world countries. For me the story is about how vulnerable and fragile human beings are. I would not have conceived this personal idea without being a director in exile living five years in L.A. outside my country. How difficult it is to communicate. Ideas and prejudices more than borders divide us. I started the script with Carlos Cuaron, brother of Alfonso, then invited Guillermo [Arriaga, author of “21 Grams”) to finish the script with me. I traveled to Japan, it was a circus of one year out of the country with my wife and two kids, now 11 and 8. It was a human transformative experience.

THR: This movie seems deeply felt by you.
Inarritu: Every film for me is a testimony of my point-of-view of life, who I am, my weaknesses and virtues. This one is very personal. I was throwing ideas into the script. I was traveling around for one year. This was special to me.

THR: What is the Japanese story?
Inarritu: It’s kind of silent. The camera is on the deaf mute teenage girl, played by newcomer Rinko Kikuchi. Her father is the unbelievable actor Koji Yokusho. It’s one of the most hypnotic stories. The three stories are related, but they are physically related only briefly—with just a touch. They take place over two days. The running time is two hours, 15 minutes.

THR: Will your old agent, John Lesher, release the movie through his specialty division?
Inarritu: Both [divisions of Paramount] will release it. I died happy with John Lesher doing this. I hope all of the cast will come to Cannes. If Brad’s kid is born a little before, he’ll do his best. Many of the cast have never seen each other, this will be their first time. That will be very beautiful.

THR: What will you be doing next?
Inarritu: I have so many ideas. I need at least a couple of months to rest. We’re releasing the film in October. I’ll take the summer off and spend some time with the kids and catch up with the world.

Vital Stats:
Nationality: Mexican
Born: August 15, 1963
Festival Entry: “Babel,” in competition
Selected filmography: “Amores perros”(2000), “11”09”01, sequence “Mexico,” (2002), “21 Grams” (2003).
Notable Awards: Best Film not in the English language, “Amores perros,” BAFTA. Critics Week Grand Prize, “Amores perros, Cannes Film Festival.

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