Film Review: Babylon

Three hours and nine minutes of 'The Wolf of Wall Street' mixed with 'The Great Gatsby', 'Babylon' captures the unhinged nature of 1920s Hollywood, a place where dreams and nightmares come true in Damien Chazelle’s new film.

The director of 'La La Land' and 'Whiplash' makes a love letter to cinema which shines a light on the ins and outs, and the highs and lows of the film industry. The characters navigate the dark crevices of Hollywood during the revolutionary transition from silent films to “talkies”.

Damien Chazelle’s take on early Hollywood embodies an “anything goes'' energy with characters who enforce and become accustomed to the madness that the industry radiates.

Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) is an erratic and somewhat troubled rising actress who quickly becomes recognised for her talent and controversial behaviour.

Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) is a highly successful actor in the silent film era, however, as he tries to renovate the industry, he realises the industry is moving on without him.

Manny Torres (Diego Calva) begins working as an assistant to Jack Conrad and slowly climbs the ladder to a studio executive, working with Nellie LaRoy to perfect her image.

Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo) is a jazz musician who, like Nellie, begins starring in films that showcases his musical talents but faces racism working in the industry.

Chazelle captures the method to the madness which gave us films that would revolutionise cinema, capturing the significance of both the audience and the small cogs in the machine that makes movies what they are. There never seems to be a dull moment in yet another work of art by Damien Chazelle.