Babylon tells the story of a woman named Nellie LeRoy, played by Margot Robbie, and her journey through the evolution of film. Originally a wild partier, she is first given a role in a silent film by Brad Pitt’s, Jack Conrad, because the original actress died. This is also where we meet Manny, played by Diego Calva, who loves film, but is also madly in love with Nellie.
As a lover of film in general it’s always a pleasure to see a story that actually pertains to the upbringing of film, but never would I have expected one to be this good. From start to finish you’re flooded with hilarious dialogue, beautiful cinematography, and most importantly, some spectacular music. Seeing the upbringing of film brought to life, although this one is dramatized, is something I will always hold close to my heart, and this film does that remarkably well.
Babylon does boast a hefty run time clocking in at just around 3 hours. With that being said, if you can skip a bathroom break for that amount of time, it’s worth every single second. There were times when I admittedly thought things were getting slow and I’d be able to run quickly to the restroom, but just as quickly, things amped back up and in spectacular form. If you’re looking for a film truly without a dull moment, this is it.
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I mentioned the cinematography above but I don’t think that did it enough justice. As you can imagine when making a film that is quite literally about film, the cinematography is expected to be perfect, and it truly is. With striking camera angles, beautiful visuals, and one of the longest and most well-done one-shot scene’s I have ever seen, this film does exactly what it was aiming to do in creating a pure work of cinema (pun intended).
Margot Robbie as Nellie LeRoy was absolutely fantastic, do not take that with a grain of salt either. Never in a million years would I think I’d be saying Margot Robbie’s best acting came from being a wild partier and an actor, but this is easily her best acting to date. Diego Calva delivers an exceptional performance as Manny, a character who I believe is the one who held this film altogether. Despite the hardships of his life Manny still chased after what he loved, and that’s something that can resonate with all of us. Brad Pitt is exceptional as Jack Conrad, as this honestly might be his best acting feat to date, as well.
Babylon is truly a work of art, whether you’re a lover of film or not, GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
9/10
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