Underplayed Gems

Babylon (2022)

Babylon poster
Directed by
Damien Chazelle
Genre
drama film, period drama film, historical drama
Country
United States
Runtime
3h 09m
Rated
R
Rating
7.3 of 10 from 3,817 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

This film follows a group of characters in 1920s Hollywood as the industry shifts from silent films to sound. It shows their ambitions, excesses, and downfalls during this chaotic transition.

chaoticraucoussprawlingexcessivefreneticmelancholicepicdarkly comic

What happens

Babylon is a 2022 American epic period tragicomedy film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It features an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, and Li Jun Li. It chronicles the rise and fall of many characters during Hollywood's change from silent to sound films in the late 1920s. Chazelle began developing Babylon in July 2019, with Lionsgate Films as the frontrunner to acquire the project. It was announced that Paramount Pictures had acquired worldwide rights in November 2019. Much of the main cast joined the project between January 2020 and August 2021, and filming took place in Los Angeles from July to October 2021. Babylon premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles on November 14, 2022, and was released in the United States on December 23, 2022. It was met with a polarized response from critics upon release and was a box-office bomb, grossing $65 million against a production budget of $78–80 million and losing Paramount $87 million. It received five nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, winning Best Original Score), three nominations at the 76th British Academy Film Awards (winning Best Production Design) and three nominations at the 95th Academy Awards. In later years, the film is said to have developed a cult following. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.