Babylon

Damien Chazelle's three-hour epic love letter to Hollywood is messy, albeit a wildly beautiful and entertaining experience to take over your brain.

One of the few filmmakers in the past ten years who’ll have me anticipated for anything he does is Damien Chazelle. For someone who won the Academy Award for Best Director at 32, the writer/director’s last three films skyrocketed my absolute love for him, two of which are all-time favorites. "Whiplash" is a provocative look at how aiming for perfection can seriously damage the mind. "La La Land" made for one of the greatest original musicals that inspired me. And we can’t forget about "First Man," which captured Neil Armstrong and his Apollo 11 mission with mesmerizing and underrated results.

Four years later, you’ll probably never think about imagining this period the same way ever again when you see "Babylon." For a film over three hours and expected to be crazy from the marketing, Chazelle’s latest is what one would think of when describing an epic drama and the total opposite side of his celebrated musical.

Travel back to the days of the 1920s in Bel Air, California, where silent films are all the rage around the golden age. Manuel “Manny” Torres (Diego Calva) is a Mexican-American fixer hoping to climb up the ladder of success in the industry. While at an extravagant house party hosted by his producer boss, he catches the eye of Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring actress from Jersey who wants to make it big time as a star. Outsiders they are and want to be a part of something greater, their hopes and dreams have come true, leading to the rise and fall not only in the transition of the silent era of film to the popularity of the talkies but of who they’ve become as decades goes on.

As Chazelle’s passion for film speaks higher than anything, it was assumed he wanted to give audiences a peak at a different depiction of Hollywood during the silent era transition; you’re in for an experience dazzling as if you’re on a massive high where it holds nothing back. You get yourselves a love letter to cinema that lets the world know how we understand our day-to-day passion. You thought those days were all wonderful and easy-going? Think again. This pulls back the curtain to show the stressful side of what goes on in the landscape.

As someone who doesn’t have the most in-depth knowledge of the film era of the ‘20s or ‘30s, it’s an alternative history lesson if there ever was one. Ever wanted to know what a day of shooting a film is like, including a lunch break? By the end of the day, it becomes the most fulfilling feeling ever, especially when it captures any hectic schedule with the importance of the craftsmanship of any film. With his continuing theme of following your dreams, what sacrifices are we willing to take with us?

Chazelle’s directing and screenplay reveals a ride from the silent to talkies to create an atmosphere to tell us the impacting path of those who go too far in life. Take everything you know about "Singin’ in the Rain," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Boogie Nights," and you put them together to create a cocktail of sorts. It’s a concoction that might not taste strange, but you want more. When you watch the first thirty minutes, which features a defecating elephant and a Gatsby-style party with orgies and cocaine, you can’t believe this was the same director who brought us "First Man" years ago. Not one to watch with your folks around the holidays.

Those who’ve been invested in classic cinema will have a tough time digesting everything "Babylon" goes for. To realize that the eventual evolution is tough as nails, that doesn't come easy to stay up with the times when moving forward to the future. However, the industry landscape through the decades is all faced in reality.

But what makes the film pop comes down to the performances. I’ve always loved Margot Robbie as an actress, and what we’ve seen from her as Nellie “The Wild Child” LaRoy not only gives one of the best performances I’ve seen all year, but this might be the most incredible role she’s been in since "I, Tonya." She's an electrifying, complex force of nature who goes all out as Nellie, pulling out a more physical performance in expressing every emotion to make this character so charming and attached to killing it in every scene. The Best Actress looks pretty tight this year, but I hope we see her get that third Oscar nomination.

Breakout star Diego Calva as Manny Torres is already a natural on-screen, as he's the film’s surrogate and heart into learning the basics of the industry, starting from being an assistant doing whatever it takes to a big-time producer. He also shares excellent chemistry with Robbie that’s so investing every time. As soon as the film was over, I was eager to see Calva in more roles after this. And when you’re talking about movie stars, you can’t count out Brad Pitt for always committing to his work. As Jack Conrad, the aging Hollywood star, it’s almost like a counterpart to his Oscar-winning role as Cliff Booth in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" with shades of Clark Gable, yet it’s still a performance requiring him to be funny and downright emotional as the years goes on. In addition, he is trying to revive his career, which isn't easy as it looks. 

Everybody else in the cast doesn't have a considerable presence, yet makes the best out of their appearances. From Jean Smart as sophisticated gossip journalist Elinor St. John (who gives a monologue for the ages), Jovan Adepo as jazz trumpet player Sidney Palmer, Li Jun Li as performer Lady Fay Zhu (inspired by Anna May Wong), and a small role from Tobey Maguire as James McKay in what had to be the tensest sequence throughout. I also must shout out Olivia Hamilton, producer and Chazelle’s real-life wife, as director Ruth Adler. 

While it has profound moments to take in, there’s no shortage of dark comedic beats that keep the ball going. This contains two of the best scenes I’ve seen all year that had me dying of laughter during the screening: One involving the constant shooting of Nellie's first scene to include sound that'll make you rethink about hearing the word “quiet” on set and attempting to fight a snake. On a technical level, everything has to be admired by how lavish it can be when it recreates the time. Nothing wrong can be said about the cinematography work by Linus Sandgren, the production design by Florencia Martin, the solid editing by Tom Cross, or the outstanding jazz-infused score by Justin Hurwitz, one of the best scores of the year. 

For a very long time, it seemed inevitable that "Babylon" would make my list of the best movies (as of now). But when you look at the running time—3 hours and 8 minutes—you can see that it will require a lot of patience. Not surprising how each film Chazelle gets longer; it takes its sweet time to tell everything. The first hour was flawless and had me wanting more. Right around before the third act was when it got straining and could’ve cut out 20 minutes. By that time, Chazelle’s story can come across as messy when certain storylines become pretty episodic when exploring the rise and fall troupe for its characters for many years. So going back and forth with the main three made sense, but a few needed to be explored more. Maybe it was intentional to be bloated and chaotic, but I think it benefited it.

Out of everything he’s done thus far in his career, this will be the most polarizing film Chazelle’s done because everything being thrown at the wall won’t be to everyone's taste. But, even when keeping the tradition of unforgettable endings, this will leave you stunned by what just happened. After it was over, so much of what I sat through was a range of emotions, concluding that it was an enjoyable time, even if it was not an entirely flawless picture. Awards-wise, it has already earned four Golden Globe nominations. As for the Oscars, there will be some chances when discussing Production Design and Original Score. Best Picture all depends on the reactions once it’s out.  That said, I’m very anxious to find the time to watch it again, not only to expect to love it more but to feel that rush that will continue to grow on me day after day.

"Babylon" is three hours of debauchery and sheer ambition in what I and many will remember as Damien Chazelle’s craziest film. It’s an overwhelming experience to take in where not everything makes it perfect, but what an out-of-control wild odyssey of a love letter to Hollywood that’ll stay with you. From his energetic direction and performances out of Robbie and Calva, it’s certainly unlike any film that has come out this year.