“Babylon” is a star-studded explosion

What a wild start to a movie! It begins with a large amount of elephant shit, and then we are thrown into a maelstrom of music, color, sex, drugs and madness at the party of Hollywood stars in the 20s. And at the center of it all is, among other things, the firework Nellie LaRoy (played by the explosive Margot Robbie), who, according to herself, is a star, even though she has never set foot on a film set.

In addition, we are introduced to the Mexican servant Manny (Diego Calva), who has a dream of working in the film industry “to become part of something bigger”. We meet the talented African-American trumpeter Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), who believes that his talent is being thrown away in the background of the band. And not least the big star of the party, the highest-paid silent film star in Hollywood, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), who is on the brink of his marriage and can make things happen with the snap of his fingers. In addition, we meet several supporting characters, who continue with us in this merry-go-round of a film.

Bombarded with impressions

The way we are introduced to the various characters in this chaos is brilliant, we are thrown from one to the other and are bombarded with impressions. At least one thing is certain: This evening has great significance for several of them, and their journey onward is both fun and painful, and not least unpredictable. Some are at full speed on their way up the film career ladder, while others are on their way to the end.

From silent film to sound film

Director Damien Chazelle’s previous film, the Oscar-winning “La La Land,” took place in the 40s and 50s, during Hollywood’s golden age. In “Babylon” we take a trip to the 20s and the end of the silent film era. The transition to sound films had major consequences for many of the silent film stars, and the fall was deep when the cutting voice or the strange pronunciation appeared on the cinema screen. The stars of “Babylon” also have their challenges. The characters are far-fetched, but feel believable enough, and in all the partying and fun and madness, a vulnerability is gradually revealed in the various people.

A little long, but holds the attention

It’s about hopes and dreams, and in the dream factory Hollywood, dreams are fulfilled in one moment and dashed in the next. “Babylon” stays mostly on the surface, and could have dug a little further into the various human destinies, so that we would have felt a little more for the characters. The three-hour-plus film certainly had time to dig more, but maybe it’s a point from director Chazelle to keep it shallow. Speaking of three hours, some will probably think it is excessively long, but with such an unpredictable story and so much impression along the way, the film manages to hold at least this reviewer’s attention.

Love of film

“Babylon” is one more big love letter the movie and Hollywood, although it also kicks ass. There are several comments on how orientation, ethnicity and gender were treated in Hollywood. It could benefit from dropping a slightly too self-glorifying film sequence towards the end, because throughout the film the audience has already been moved by the film’s magic and power. It is a joy to follow one kokko film set after another in the desert, where the hunt is on for that one tear or the perfect sunset.

“Babylon” is a film that is packed with impressions, and the music, the costumes, the production design, the actors and the story itself make up an explosion that is worth experiencing in the cinema hall.

Dice 5