Review: Babies

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Bayar of Babies

When an environmentally conscious friend told me that he and his wife planned to follow a primitive cultural practice of not using diapers on their firstborn son, I was intrigued -- how is this done? Award-winning French filmmaker Thomas Balmes and writer/producer Alain Chabat shed some light on this question and many other cultural habits in the documentary Babies, originally titled Bebe(s), opening in Austin theaters today. This amusing and inspiring film provides a charming cross-cultural vision of one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

Babies simultaneously follows the wee ones from birth to first steps: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco.

Babies is a nontraditional documentary with no narration and very little dialogue -- the primary focus of the camera lens is trained on the babies as they develop and explore their new world. Although the diverse cultural backgrounds as well as socioeconomic disparities are evident, the movie shows us the universal needs across the globe: feeding, playing, learning to crawl/stand, and interacting with siblings and household pets. Some of the babies are constantly monitored, and others are allowed to play -- and eat -- in the dirt.

The mothers' faces are mere glimpses, but motherhood is still a major focus of Babies. I was quite amused to see how Ponijao's mother would help keep the other children pacified by offering her breastmilk to them as well. Seeing as how at least three of the four babies were breastfed, it's not surprising the film has an advisory for maternal nudity as well as cultural nudity.

The cinematography in Babies is remarkable and diverse. The film primarily consists of well-framed close shots of the babies, but also includes sweeping panoramic shots of the Mongolian and Namibian landscapes. Bayarjargal's attempt to stand on his own is one of the film's most inspiring and joyful sequences, as represented in the photo above.

Babies successfully delivers a view of the world from the perspective of infants -- not in the literal sense that we see closeups of parents' faces, but their joys, curiosities and the wonderment of discovery. Don't assume that the target audience is only parents and mothers that will enjoy this film. Babies is a life-affirming journey around the world with our youngest inhabitants.

In case you were wondering -- the results of my friend's diaperless technique? Didn't turn out so well and was abandoned fairly quickly. However, the last time I saw his now four-year-old son, he was wearing a "Keep Austin Breastfeeding" t-shirt.