Just in time for Mother's Day, "Babies" by French filmmaker, Thomas Balmés, follows four infants in four different parts of the world from birth to toddlerhood.
One newborn rides home in his mother's arms on the back of a motorcycle driven by his farmer father, another spends most of each day outdoors exploring around her family's hut with a large group of siblings nearby, while another is doted on by her young urban parents in busy Tokyo, and a fourth spends her days alongside her green-minded parents in and around San Francisco.
From the start viewers witness the wide variances in baby care and cultural views of childhood. Baby boy Bayar from Mongolia and baby girl Ponijao from Namibia quickly become part of the everyday chores and duties their mothers tend to. Whether strapped to their moms' backs or sitting among a large group of goats, these babies learn from quiet watchfulness (an activity often observed by natural parenting advocates in favor of babywearing).
Rather than coddling, their parents (who of course, do coo, sing to and play with their babies as well) allow their children to experience the world with much less parental structure, providing basic comfort, care and safety as a foundation.
Whereas Mari and Hattie, baby girls growing up in Tokyo and San Francisco respectively, are provided with lots of modern toys and play devices and carted off to parent and tot classes (which in contrast to the quiet repose of life in the field, seems somewhat comical.) The babies themselves are less than enthusiastic about the classes too.
In one scene, Hattie, with her father at an early music education class, abruptly leaves circle time and makes a break for the locked door as her teacher sings a cloying melody about loving the Earth. We then see Hattie repeatedly trying to pull at the door in vain.
Brimming with lots of wide eyed stares and chubby pratfalls, the film is more than just a warm fuzzy piece about how much we absolutely adore babies. Slowly and steadily, we are shown how we all really start out exactly the same way: in need of love and security and if given these will soon enough make our own way out into the world.
Destined to appeal to those who enjoy young children, with nothing objectionable in its content, a beautiful musical score and lots of amazing outdoor views, "Babies" could also make a good family film for kids 8-10 and up and a good starting point for discussing cultural differences in families throughout the world.
-Christine
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