2008 Woodie Awards
Mexican directors shift Oscar focus south
Matt Ward
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Entertainment
The 79th Annual Academy Awards will be presented this Sunday, Feb.25, with important nominations for Mexico's leading new wave filmmakers: Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu for Babel, Alfonso Cuaron for Children of Men, and Guillermo del Toro for Pan's Labyrinth.
Receiving 16 nominations for their combined work, Gonzalez-Inarritu, Cuaron, and del Toro's "sister films" have gained much critical and financial success, vaulting these Mexican directors into a class of film makers who can work anywhere in the world with A-list actors from any nation. While each filmmaker demonstrates a distinctive style in their work, they share certain insights and concerns in their treatment of issues such as immigration, civil rights and terrorism, that reflect an intellectual formation in Mexico.
Babel leads the three films with the most nominations, seven in all, including Best Picture and Best Director, a "first" for Mexican cinema. Set in four countries, with eight main characters, weaving together four stories spoken in seven languages, Babel explores how people's miscommunication on a global level can have devastating effects.
In one story, two Moroccan brothers accidentally shoot an American tourist (Cate Blanchett) on vacation with her husband (Brad Pitt). The gun turns out to have been given to a Moroccan guide by a Japanese hunter, whose deaf mute daughter (Rinko Kikuchi) is the subject of a parallel story set in Tokyo about her struggles with isolation and despair. Meanwhile, back in California, the American couple's Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza) makes the unfortunate decision of taking her employers' children to her son's wedding in Mexico, because the couple is held up in Morocco. The intertwining situations convey a universal sense of loneliness, as each character is isolated in some way from those with whom he or she should be connected. Both Barraza and Kikuchi have been nominated in the best supporting actress category.
Gonzalez-Inarritu and Guillermo Arriaga, his collaborative screenwriter on previous films such as Amores Perros and 21 Grams, team up again for another non-linear format of storytelling pieced into a thematic plot. Gonzalez-Inarritu is known for his rapid editing technique and ability to pull outstanding performances from his actors, as evidenced by the willingness of international stars such as Brad Pitt to work with him. Since winning the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama, Babel has been favored as a Best Picture Oscar winner, but not without tough competition from Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed.
Receiving 16 nominations for their combined work, Gonzalez-Inarritu, Cuaron, and del Toro's "sister films" have gained much critical and financial success, vaulting these Mexican directors into a class of film makers who can work anywhere in the world with A-list actors from any nation. While each filmmaker demonstrates a distinctive style in their work, they share certain insights and concerns in their treatment of issues such as immigration, civil rights and terrorism, that reflect an intellectual formation in Mexico.
Babel leads the three films with the most nominations, seven in all, including Best Picture and Best Director, a "first" for Mexican cinema. Set in four countries, with eight main characters, weaving together four stories spoken in seven languages, Babel explores how people's miscommunication on a global level can have devastating effects.
In one story, two Moroccan brothers accidentally shoot an American tourist (Cate Blanchett) on vacation with her husband (Brad Pitt). The gun turns out to have been given to a Moroccan guide by a Japanese hunter, whose deaf mute daughter (Rinko Kikuchi) is the subject of a parallel story set in Tokyo about her struggles with isolation and despair. Meanwhile, back in California, the American couple's Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza) makes the unfortunate decision of taking her employers' children to her son's wedding in Mexico, because the couple is held up in Morocco. The intertwining situations convey a universal sense of loneliness, as each character is isolated in some way from those with whom he or she should be connected. Both Barraza and Kikuchi have been nominated in the best supporting actress category.
Gonzalez-Inarritu and Guillermo Arriaga, his collaborative screenwriter on previous films such as Amores Perros and 21 Grams, team up again for another non-linear format of storytelling pieced into a thematic plot. Gonzalez-Inarritu is known for his rapid editing technique and ability to pull outstanding performances from his actors, as evidenced by the willingness of international stars such as Brad Pitt to work with him. Since winning the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama, Babel has been favored as a Best Picture Oscar winner, but not without tough competition from Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed.
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