Medium follows message

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Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's latest film, "Babel," consists of four interconnected, intercontinental stories about miscommunication. The theme seems perfectly suited to a director born in Mexico City, who studied under Polish director Ludwik Margules, and whose films have earned Oscar consideration in the U.S.

The 43-year-old director, speaking in the District last month, agreed that he's had his own communication problems in Hollywood. But they don't seem too severe. For "Babel," he attracted top-rank talent -- Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett -- whose roles were barely bigger than those of the locals he recruited in Morocco.

With those "actors," who had never been in a motion picture before, he did have to use translators to be understood. "Babel" features six spoken dialects, as well as sign language. Perhaps Mr. Inarritu is an exceptional communicator. Without even speaking their language, he coaxed compelling performances out of the two teenage boys whose sibling rivalry results in an international incident.

The Moroccan extras were a bit harder to work with, he admits. The director laughs, recalling: "It was difficult to get them to quit smiling at the camera."

"Babel's" four stories are tied together by a rifle that changes hands. Although it's used to tragic effect and Mr. Inarritu counts himself a supporter of greater gun control, the director insists, "I wasn't trying to make a political statement." The "story" is key, he says.

Story also explains why his films -- "Babel," 2000's "Amores Perros" and 2003's "21 Grams" form a loose trilogy on death -- have gotten bigger. The events of his debut took place in Mexico City, while "Babel" spans the globe.

Mr. Inarritu says it's not because his budgets have gotten larger. His ideas dictated the move toward the epic; the message dictated the medium, he explains.

Gesturing with his hands, he comes up with a fitting analogy for what he's trying to say: "You serve champagne in long flutes and tequila in small shot glasses."

Old Europe's new films

European directors are doing plenty of interesting work, but you'd hardly know it from a look at your local multiplex. So the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, run by the American Film Institute, is doing a public service by hosting the 2006 European Union Film Showcase.