Babies
(Photos from film website. Click to enlarge. They’re gorgeous.)
Thomas Balmes is a French documentary filmmaker, and in Babies, he brings us a nature film about, well, babies. The only dialog is that between the members of the various families in the film, and most of it we can’t understand, either because it is in foreign languages, sans subtitles, or because the voices are low. Because the families surrounding the babies are not the point of this film, except perhaps in that they all love their babies dearly.
No, the point of the film seems to be how similar babies around the world are, whether they are being raised in Namibia, Tokyo, Mongolia, or San Francisco. All four babies have their triumphs and their frustrations, as they learn to nurse, to crawl, to play, and finally, to walk. The differences in their surroundings are, of course, striking.
Mari, the baby in Tokyo, is enrolled in mommy and me classes, and finds herself frustrated when trying to conquer a developmental toy. Ponijao, the baby in Namibia, plays mostly with her siblings, and finds herself frustrated when her brother won’t share an empty bottle with her.
Bayar, the Mongolian baby, is swaddled tightly (and looks about as cozy as he could possibly be) and brought home from the hospital on the back of a little motorcycle, unsecured by car seats or any kind of safety device stronger than his mother’s arms. Hattie, the American baby, is still bundled in her car seat, with its insert for infants, hanging out in her house.
But they are all loved, all fed and clothed and played with. There are many patient animals in the movie, enduring, perhaps even enjoying, the attention of the babies. There are many bare breasts in the movie, most lastingly in Namibia.
Ted and Maya took me to see Babies for Mother’s Day. The theater was packed. I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate film for moms to enjoy with their families, though Maya was slightly scarred by scenes of real life, as opposed to cartoon violence that we might have seen if we had seen the movie she wanted, Iron Man 2.
5 Comments
Ted
I really enjoyed that film — even though I had no idea how the filmmakers were going to end it. The differences and similarities in raising babies on planet earth was pretty interesting to see. And from what the filmmakers portray, it’s clear there are more similarities than differences.
Nance
J.–This part of your post caught me: “though Maya was slightly scarred by scenes of real life, ” and I wonder if you’d clarify for me. What was this movie rated? What did she see that had this much of an impact on her? I read a review in our Cleveland paper in which the filmmaker described some scenes that he was a bit disturbed by, such as a baby on the ground surrounded by llamas and he feared that she’d be trampled. He said that there were several times that he almost wanted to intervene, but he restrained himself. But it sounds as if things were worse than that, even.
J
No Nance, she can take fake blood and gore, but a newborn all slimy and with its umbilical cord still attached and bright blue got to her for a minute. Also the way the Namibian mother cleaned her baby was a bit unsanitary by western standards…wiped baby’s poop onto her leg, then wiped that off with an old corn cob. Cleaned the boo boo out of her baby’s eyes with her mouth. Nothing horrible, just a little gross to someone used to diapers and wipes and so on.
There were a few times when you wondered if someone maybe should intervene, especially the baby in Mongolia. The kids were left alone quite a bit, even as toddlers. Ted said he heard an interview on NPR where they showed the film to all of the families, and the Namibian mom was horrified at how left alone the Mongolian baby was. But they were all fine.
The movie was rated PG, by the way.
Starshine
I can’t wait to see this film!
Wanderlust Scarlett
I’ll have to see if this is playing around Denver anywhere anytime soon. I’d love to see it!! I am a big fan of indie films and find that they are more touching and relevant and thought provoking than just about anything else in visual media, when they are done well.
Glad you got to go, and Happy Mother’s Day.
BTW~ Iron Man 2 is awesome… ;P
Scarlett & Viaggiatore