Maps of Movies

Babel (2006)

Where Babel says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

One rifle, four countries: from a Moroccan hillside to a Tokyo nightclub, and why most of the Japan scenes have no recorded location

Scenes and places

The goatherd's rifle (2006)

Abdullah, a goatherder, buys a rifle to protect his goats from jackals and hands it to his two young sons. Bored on the hillside, the boys test its range on rocks and passing highway traffic. One shot sets off the chain that links all four storylines.

Set in Abdullah's hillside village, Morocco — The film names no village for the goatherd's home, only a desert in Morocco.

A dry, rocky stretch of the Moroccan interior, where herding villages sit far from the main roads.

Filmed at Ouarzazate area and Taguenzalt, Morocco — Wikipedia lists Ouarzazate and Taguenzalt as the Moroccan filming locations; the exact hillside is not stated. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Waiting in Tazzarine (2006)

After Susan is shot on a tour bus, Richard orders the driver to the nearest village. The other tourists grow afraid and eventually leave, so the couple stays behind with the guide, waiting for an ambulance that never comes.

Set in Tazzarine, Morocco — The village where Richard takes the wounded Susan to wait for help. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A small oasis town in southern Morocco, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region.

The hospital in Casablanca (2006)

A helicopter finally arrives and carries Richard and Susan to a hospital in Casablanca. There the doctors expect her to recover, while the pressure from the American side grows.

Set in Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco — The hospital where Susan is treated. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Morocco's largest city and main Atlantic port.

The house in San Diego (2006)

Amelia, the Mexican nanny, looks after Richard and Susan's two children at their San Diego home. When she cannot get anyone to cover for her, she decides to take the children to her son's wedding in Mexico.

Set in Richard and Susan's home, San Diego — The home where Amelia looks after the children. Google Maps · Apple Maps

California's border city, a short drive north of Tijuana.

Filmed at San Diego, California — Wikipedia lists San Diego among the California filming locations; no street address is given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The wedding near Tijuana (2006)

Amelia takes the children south to a wedding in a rural community near Tijuana. The party is warm and loud, and the night ends with a drive back toward the border.

Set in Rural community near Tijuana, Mexico — Where Amelia's son marries; the film places it near Tijuana, so the point is Tijuana itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A border metropolis on the Pacific coast, the busiest crossing into the United States.

Filmed at Tijuana, Baja California — English and German Wikipedia name Tijuana as a filming location; French Wikipedia names Tecate instead. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Left in the desert (2006)

A panicked drunk driver speeds away from the border guards and leaves Amelia and the children in the desert. By morning, the heat is wearing them down, and Amelia has to leave the children behind to find help.

Set in Desert past the border crossing — The film gives no place name for the desert where the children are left.

The Sonoran Desert, one of the hottest in North America, stretches across the US-Mexico border region.

Filmed at El Carrizo, Sonora (area) — English Wikipedia lists El Carrizo, Sonora as a filming location; the point is the Sonora state centre, not the scene. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Chieko's high-rise apartment (2006)

Chieko, a deaf teenager, lives in a Tokyo high-rise with her father and carries a loneliness that her friends cannot reach. A police detective visiting about a rifle ends up in her home, and the apartment's balcony becomes the centre of the Japan story.

Set in Chieko's apartment, Tokyo — The film gives no address for the apartment; no source located the filming spot.

A Tokyo residential tower, the kind of city high-rise that frames the Japan storyline.

The nightclub in Shibuya (2006)

Chieko goes out with friends to a Tokyo nightclub. Lights and bass replace sound, and for a while the room puts her on the same footing as everyone else.

Set in Womb nightclub, Shibuya — The club where the Japan storyline's night scenes take place. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Womb is one of Tokyo's best-known clubs, in the Maruyamacho nightlife district of Shibuya.

Filmed at Womb, Maruyamacho 2-16, Shibuya — The club appears in the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Ishioka, Ibaraki — Unmatched filming spot Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Drumheller, Alberta — Unmatched filming spot Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Agdz, Morocco — Unmatched filming spot Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Abdullah — A Moroccan goatherder whose rifle sets the story in motion.
• Richard — An American husband on vacation in Morocco with his wife Susan.
• Susan — An American wife wounded on a tour bus.
• Amelia — The Mexican nanny who looks after the couple's children in San Diego.
• Chieko Wataya — A deaf teenage girl in Tokyo.

Questions answered on the map

• Which Tokyo nightclub appears in Babel?