Babylon
Babylon
An original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
stuhannaford reviewedJuly 14, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed it, but to do so, you must endure the first half an hour, in order for the film to show its true colours. Just watched in isolation, it is brash, obscene, fantastical, nonsense. However, it sets up the narrative to highlight the utter absurdity of Hollywood and fame. Whilst many view it as a love letter to the golden era of silent movie, I found it anything but. For me, it simply showed human nature when the going is good, against the tribulations when it’s not. Death, over indulgence, depression, prostitution, greed, cry’s for help… none of it is oh so noticeable when the sun is shining, your back is being patted and you’re being celebrated for sheer good fortune. The right place at the right time? Perhaps, more likely the right face for the right person. It’s the dispensable nature of people, to those with power and money. No longer useful? No longer required. It’s a feeling not so unique to those with fame, but relatable to pretty much everyone. Hopes and dreams given and dashed in the blink of an eye, and as the film progresses, the moral decay becomes more apparent.
The three leads are all outstanding, in particular Pitt, who embodies the somewhat ironic role of visual appeal versus perceived talent. You laugh with him, you cry with him. His joy and his despair, are both easy to feel. The toss away starlet, the money making up and comer… traits we still see today amongst those that crave the glamour and splendour… unaware of the pitfalls. Maguire, however, encapsulates the dark, seedy, disgusting underbelly of the glitzy facade in his small role, which for those that know, may not be too much of an accomplishment impressive act. The truly ugly side of the business is acknowledged by some, and walked away from, relatively unscathed. For others, the lure is too great, and despite a set of wood, nails, glue and paint, all hastily being thrown together amidst carnage and chaos, the polish, the lights and the sparkle are impossible to resist until it is too late. Sadly, we have been living the last days of Babylon for quite some time it would seem, as we dance into the shadows ourselves.