Babylon review: An unfiltered look into the Golden Age of Hollywood and its decadence

3.5/5

Story: Manuel ‘Manny’ Torres (Diego Calva), an aspiring filmmaker, dreams of making it big in 1920s Hollywood. He does odd jobs for a Hollywood mogul, and at one of the bacchanalian parties hosted by the producer he meets an aspiring actress named Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie). The party also sets in motion the subplots of Hollywood star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), film critic Elinor St. John (Jean Smart), and jazz musician Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo). The plot of the film unfolds against the backdrop of Hollywood transitioning from silent cinema to sound films.

Review: Damien Chazelle has undoubtedly become one of the most revered filmmakers of the past decade. His films Whiplash, La La Land, and the criminally underrated First Man are testaments to Chazelle’s unbridled passion for cinema and his calibre as an auteur. But his self-confessed pet project has always been Babylon, which had been in the works for nearly 15 years. However, it has ended up being his most polarising film to date. The provocative imagery and themes would certainly alienate a few audiences, and the three-hour runtime for a comedy-drama was always going to displease the masses. An argument could be made that the film should’ve had a tighter runtime, to keep viewers immersed in it from start to finish.

Babylon is a love/hate letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood. The opening hour of the film gives a vivid, unhinged, unfiltered, and raw depiction of the pre-sound film era, with debaucherous ‘Hollywood’ parties, rife with alcohol, drugs, hedonism, and orgies. But it also shows the efforts and sacrifices made by the cast and crew of a film, and the mental and physical boundaries they were willing to cross in the name of perfecting cinema. The idea of perfectionism in art is an idea that also echoes in some of Chazelle’s previous films such as Whiplash and La La Land. He has unapologetically conveyed the message through these films and Babylon that the pursuit of perfecting art comes at a heavy cost. However, the film’s most gripping moments are when it indulges in the chaos surrounding its characters.

The film’s primary focus is on how filmmakers and actors were forced to adapt to the introduction of sound in the cinema quickly. The shift in how film sets went from being loud and chaotic, thriving in their environment, to being in controlled closed sets which had to remain noise-free had a ripple effect across Hollywood. This is perfectly captured through how Margot Robbie’s Nellie LaRoy and Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad’s careers nose dive towards the third act of the film. There is also significant emphasis on how Diego Calva’s Manny is the only one who is able to keep up with the changing landscape in Hollywood and use it to his advantage. And these changes aren’t merely restricted to the film industry itself, but also to the socio-politics of the US and other Western nations in the late 1920s — class elitism, conservatism, and the slow shift towards far-right sentiments in Europe and America are also touched upon in the film.

Even though the film as a whole is polarising, no one can argue that the performances by the cast are nothing short of spectacular. Robbie delivers one of her career-best performances as Nellie, an actress with an abundance of talent but completely unhinged. Pitt’s Jack Conrad is the larger-than-life Hollywood star who has come to believe that he is almost invincible like the characters he portrays on screen. The narrative teases the idea that the only thing that can kill Jack Conrad is Jack Conrad himself. And Calva as Manny Torres, the only character in the film who has his mental faculties in relative control. Jovan Adepo and Jean Smart also slip into their characters effortlessly. The film also boasts an incredible ensemble cast of supporting characters who are vital to the film's overarching story.

Verdict: Academy Award-winner Damien Chazelle’s Babylon is a provocative and unfiltered deep dive into the Golden Age of Hollywood. It is also a love letter or a hate letter to Hollywood, depending on how one perceives the themes of the film. Regardless, the film deconstructs an era that laid the foundations of the world’s most popular film industry.

Babylon is available on BookMyShow Stream