'Babys' is another smart film from Sayles

Friday, October 17, 2003

By Barry Paris, Post-Gazette Film Critic

Since "Return of the Secaucus Seven" in 1979, writer-director John Sayles has been turning out thoughtful, ambitious independent films ("City of Hope," "Limbo," last year's "Sunshine State") with three common characteristics: multiple characters of equal importance, rich atmospheric textures -- and enormous intelligence.

	'Casa de los Babys' RATING: Rated R for some language and brief drug use STARRING: Mary Steenburgen, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Moreno, LiliTaylor DIRECTOR: John Sayles

"Casa de los Babys" is a pristine example and arguably his most beautiful work to date. The gorgeous screenplay features a dazzling all-female cast -- Mary Steenburgen, Marcia Gay Harden, Lili Taylor, Daryl Hannah, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susan Lynch. Those half-dozen affluent, childless Yankees are fidgety guests at a posh resort run by Rita Moreno in a nameless Latin American country, where they are cooling their heels, waiting to adopt locally produced babies.

The process is both breathless and bureaucratic. The emotions are wildly varied. The social implications are dire and symbiotic, juxtaposing the angst of the American women with the resigned serenity of the Latins.

All except Moreno, who is as fiery and terrific as ever, rather than serene. "They want to be mothers, but they can't even take care of themselves!" she kvetches of her semi-ugly Americanas. Our great surprise bonus in "Casa de los Babys" is that its superb music includes two soulful songs sung by Moreno ("West Side Story's" Anita) herself.

Steenburgen is simply, sweetly superb. But for that matter, the performances -- all subtly layered and different -- are uniformly excellent. So is the cinematography. One heartbreaking slow-zoom into the eyes of a maid, secretly watching the little girl she has given away -- is particularly haunting.

In contrast to visual excellence is audio incompetence: I've rarely heard such lousy sound recording, which makes much of the soft-spoken women's dialogue difficult to decipher thanks to an overabundance of pounding surf and ambient noise.

Critic David Thomson calls Sayles the "connoisseur of extended groups," and he's right. The social, situational dynamics that fascinate this director are theatrical in the best sense. Their dramatic intimacy, intensity and integrity would work wonderfully well on the stage.

"You must forgive us, Madame," says the local lawyer in bitter soliloquy. "We do not accept American Express for one of our children, but there's a cash machine in the lobby."

One woman's tragedy is another's mitzvah. But it's a terrifying lottery ticket: How do Rita's guests know whether they're buying "genetically deficient time bombs" instead of healthy babies?

They don't. Yet, for all the penetrating sadness, they (and we) leave this "Casa" with more hope than despair. It is as optimistic as any such existential tale can be when you don't know -- or pretend to know -- how the rest of your or your precious babe's life will turn out.

Barry Paris can be reached at 412-263-3859.

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