Lo and there came some babies!
Babies are something everyone can relate to whether they want to or not. We were all babies at one point in our lives and eventually most of us will have babies of our own. And if not then odds are you at least have friends or relatives with babies. Babies are a part of everyone’s life, so it makes sense that someone would eventually deliver a film like Babies.
French documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes has delivered to the cinematic world this cute, cuddly, funny and fascinating look at the beginning of life from the infant’s perspective. Following four newborns, Ponijao (Opuwo, Namibia), Bayar (Bayanchandmani, Mongolia), Mari (Tokyo, Japan) and Hattie (San Francisco, California), we are given a look into the first year of their lives.
Presented in way reminiscent of Grey Gardens, the filmmakers offer no narration to guide the story. They simply filmed the babies and let them tell their own story in their own way. Also, there are no subtitles provided for the foreign languages, but that’s fine because this isn’t about the parents, this isn’t about parenting. It’s about the kids. Even when the American parents’ words can be understood they offer nothing to the film. You also get some amazing shots and angles of infants rarely, if ever, seen on screen.
As a sociologic experiment this is a very fascinating film. It is very interesting to see how each of these infants in very different parts of the world have very different lives. And they also share some similarities as well.
While an utterly harmless film in every way shape and form I do question the PG rating as there is a significant amount of nudity in the film. But I guess it’s okay to see a breast on screen as long there is a baby feeding on it.
Whether you’re a parent yourself or are just curious how the world looks to the wee ones on this planet, then you’ll probably want to check this out. This is a fascinating and surprisingly entertaining film with lots of genuine laughs. It’s a very different film (even from other documentaries), but is definitely worth your time.
Director: Thomas Chabat
Notable Cast: Ponijao, Bayar, Mari and Hattie
