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A course, a punishment, a lesson, whatever label you want to put on it that is what Babel in the biblical times was all about. Gonzales Iarritu did a master job in portraying the consequences of this in modern times. How an act of gratitude, the Japanese man showing his appreciation towards the hunting guide turns into a catastrophe, the married couple who don't speak the same language although both are English speaking, the cultural difference in a country where telephones and hospitals are not around the block and medical resources are reduced to hashish and a needle and thread.

A Mexican nanny who cannot explain her boss how important it is for her to attend her son's wedding, her naivetee in crossing the border with two minors. The border officer who gets all wired up and searches the car because he gets suspicious of the Mexican guy who is afraid of getting another DWI, and the repercussion of his bad decision, and the American government blowing everything out of proportion, even after the origin of the rifle is traced, the media continues labeling the incident as terrorism.

All this portrays a perfect example of what humankind communication is; a confusion of tongues. Deborah Tandem, a doctor in linguistics, has a marvelous book that explains all this; "That is not what I meant."

Learn more about this author, Brenda Lachman.
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