Babylon

Synopsis

Set in Los Angeles during the roaring 1920s, Babylon is an epic tale of oversized ambition and outrageous excess. The film traces the rise and fall of multiple ambitious dreamers during a transitional era in Hollywood history marked by the turbulent shift from silent films to talkies. Among them are Jack Conrad, a charismatic and aging silent film superstar struggling to maintain his relevance; Nellie LaRoy, an uninhibited, self-proclaimed starlet who rockets to overnight fame; and Manny Torres, a resourceful Mexican immigrant navigating the studio system with dreams of becoming a major filmmaker. As the industry rapidly modernizes and embraces sound, their glittering, drug-fueled world of decadent parties, artistic breakthroughs, and cutthroat studio politics begins to fracture. Driven by a fast-paced, jazz-infused score, Damien Chazelle's visceral drama captures both the magic of early cinema and the devastating personal cost paid by those caught in the gears of the Hollywood machine.