Effective Communication In The Film Babel

Communication is defined by Marriam Webster as “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. (Webster, 2015) The movie Babel verifies that effective communication is more than verbal expression. People have the ability to communicate without orally using words, and without completely understanding a person’s native language. Communication can be expressed through the use of words, body language, facial expressions, and the intentional use of science. In the beginning of the film I was able to recognize that the characters were not from America. Even though I am not fluent in Arabic, and there were no captions in the beginning scene, their origin was explicitly communicated through the characters clothes, actions, the scenery and the lack of music and sounds. The intentional use of silence that the film director selected helped me gain insight about the country. In my opinion it was …show more content…
Even though they both speak English, their relationship is suffering from miscommunication. It is apparent that their relationship is unsteady because while in Morocco Susan says “Richard, why did we come here?” He replies with, “What do you mean why? I thought you would like it.” Susan says: “Really: Why are we here?” Richard replies: “To forget everything. To be alone.” Susan says: “Alone.” They also show signs that their relationship is decaying during the bus scene because the camera zooms in on the couple holding hands, then zooms out as Susan lets go of Richards hand. Shortly after she lets go of his hand she gets shot. This was a turning point in their relationship. After Susan got shot Richard was very attentive to Susan’s needs. Richards’s affection was conveyed through his actions, notably when he held the pan underneath his wife so she can be more comfortable in her painful