We discuss 10 Movies like Babel you must watch. Add these well-recommended and highly-rated films to your watch list.
By the time Alejandro G. Inarritu made Babel, he had a great filmography under his belt. He uses an interconnecting story to bring different characters into one common thread.
Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four families. The film stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and Gael Garcia Bernal. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards but only won for Original Score.
Surprisingly, there are many films that follow this structure, but audiences are not inclined to try them out. The films on this list all show a different perspective on humanity and different groups of people unifying over one common situation or interest.
10 Movies like Babel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
This is the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost paralyzed body; only his left eye isn’t paralyzed. The film is uniquely shot through the perspective of one side of his body and his memories.
Munich (2005)
With Steven Spielberg behind the camera and Tony Kushner writing the script, you’re going to get an engaging film. Munich takes place after the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics; five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.
Even though it’s almost three hours long, it is such a fascinating story to watch unfold.
Amores Perros (2000)
This film has gone under the radar, and it has a small following that always vouches for it. This is one of Alejandro G. Inarritu’s first films and stars a young Gael Garcia Bernal. A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life’s harsh realities, all in the name of love.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz have excellent chemistry in this thriller. A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife’s murder, big business, and corporate corruption.
Volver (2006)
Writer-director Pedro Almodovar captures the grief and beauty of a mother’s impact. After her death, a mother (Penelope Cruz) returns to her hometown. She wants to fix the situations she couldn’t resolve during her life.
Crash (2004)
This is one of the most controversial Academy Award winners of all time. When this won Best Picture, people were not happy. The film is about Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives who collide in interweaving stories of race, loss, and redemption.
It has an incredible cast and great performances, but you have to be a fan of this structure of multiple storylines.
Traffic (2000)
From director Steven Soderbergh comes a crime thriller for the ages. A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America’s escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict.
Two DEA agents even protect the informant. Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Benicio Del Toro star in this intense film.
Magnolia (1999)
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson brings an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. Audiences believed that this film, in particular, was overstuffed and were not fans of this style.
But the performances by Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore make this worth the watch.
Birdman (2014)
Director Alejandro G. Inarritu came back after Babel with Birdman. It is categorized as a comedy and should have given Michael Keaton his Oscar. This has a wonderful cast and is about a washed-up superhero actor who attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production. Keaton was the perfect actor to take this on, and it’s one of his best performances.
21 Grams (2003)
In this Inarritu film, a freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro. The ongoing theme of his films is bringing together a group of unlikely people to see if they can actually be civil and help each other.
Do you have any other recommendations for movies like Babel? Let us know in the comments below.
More Stories
