Damien Chazelle’s 'Babylon' Is a Misunderstood Masterpiece

We got 2022’s Babylon all wrong. The knee-jerk response of panic over the three-hour runtime, bodily fluids and sheer excess burdened the film with a bias it unfortunately couldn’t shake off during its initial run. But with the benefit of hindsight, it’s now pretty clear that Damien Chazelle’s film is a maximalist monument to the beautiful, cocaine-fueled chaos of early Hollywood.

In a time when films are boosted by safe, algorithmic blockbusters, Babylon was an outlier that didn’t stand a chance. Chazelle’s visceral and and wild autopsy of the 1920s painted the industry’s switch from silent films to “talkies” are more than just technological advancement — it was also a turbulent disruption that chewed up and spat out its legends. The result? An immersive, R-rated fever dream.

Beyond the stellar acting, Babylon’s aesthetic mutiny also subtly bled into the world of high fashion thanks to costume designer Mary Zophres. Trading up the tired, Great Gatsby-esque flapper clichés for a gritty, anachronistic edge evolved Babylon beyond what’s expected of a period piece. Margot Robbie’s iconic red scarf ensemble sparked a wave of “naked dressing” on the runway, while Brad Pitt’s slouchy matinee-idol tailoring has influenced recent collections from Prada and Amiri. Babylon is a tragedy wrapped in a custom tuxedo, a love letter to the medium written by someone who isn’t afraid to show the blood on the page.

Babylon is available now on Cathay Pacific‘s award-winning inflight entertainment system.