French film maker Thomas Balmès has crafted a sleeper hit in the observational doco Babies, and whilst it is destined to satisfy the clucky, it offers an amusing albeit forgettable 79 minutes for the rest of us.
Tracking the first year of life of four little tackers across the globe, we follow the all-smiles Hattie in San Francisco, placid Mari in Tokyo, inquisitive Ponijao in Namibia and adventurous Bayar in Mongolia. The four babies' lives are interwoven cleverly, linked by key experiences in their development.
The filmmakers take a fly-on-the-wall approach, with no voice-over and no interviews whatsoever. In some ways this is a bold decision that strengthens the film, forcing the audience to view the world through the eyes of the babies. On the other hand, with little insight into their backgrounds, emotional engagement is minimal.
What it does succeed in is providing an interesting juxtaposition of parenting approaches. Gasps and shocked giggles filled the audience as Ponijao plays freely with the open mouth of a dog, and Bayer bathes with a wild ram. Contrasted with Hattie's desperate escape attempt from New Age chanting in a parental clinic, the viewer can infer various meanings. The most potent idea I took from the film however, was that despite location, there is little difference between newborns from one side of the globe to the next.
Unlike most observational docos, Babies is handsomely shot, with the occasionally stunning use of natural lighting, and the soundtrack featuring Sufjan Stevens creates a fun and whimsical mood. There is also a particular resonance to images in the film; Bayar crawling along the barren plains in the Mongolian mountains, and Mari gazing out of a Tokyo apartment window into the expansive city beneath her. Such moments invite contemplation back on those mysterious years.
The film floats along peacefully, providing the audience with some genuinely insightful moments, yet artfully dodges the excessive nappy filling, crying, vomiting and disruptive sleep patterns of babies, opting for a more ebullient insight into early human life that leaves us cynics questioning the documentary's heavily constructed nature.
Despite moments of power and a humbling reflection of baby-hood, the film is almost too passive in its approach. It is buoyant and light for its duration, but for the 23 year old childless cynic, Babies was nothing to go gaga over.
Tracking the first year of life of four little tackers across the globe, we follow the all-smiles Hattie in San Francisco, placid Mari in Tokyo, inquisitive Ponijao in Namibia and adventurous Bayar in Mongolia. The four babies' lives are interwoven cleverly, linked by key experiences in their development.
The filmmakers take a fly-on-the-wall approach, with no voice-over and no interviews whatsoever. In some ways this is a bold decision that strengthens the film, forcing the audience to view the world through the eyes of the babies. On the other hand, with little insight into their backgrounds, emotional engagement is minimal.
What it does succeed in is providing an interesting juxtaposition of parenting approaches. Gasps and shocked giggles filled the audience as Ponijao plays freely with the open mouth of a dog, and Bayer bathes with a wild ram. Contrasted with Hattie's desperate escape attempt from New Age chanting in a parental clinic, the viewer can infer various meanings. The most potent idea I took from the film however, was that despite location, there is little difference between newborns from one side of the globe to the next.
Unlike most observational docos, Babies is handsomely shot, with the occasionally stunning use of natural lighting, and the soundtrack featuring Sufjan Stevens creates a fun and whimsical mood. There is also a particular resonance to images in the film; Bayar crawling along the barren plains in the Mongolian mountains, and Mari gazing out of a Tokyo apartment window into the expansive city beneath her. Such moments invite contemplation back on those mysterious years.
The film floats along peacefully, providing the audience with some genuinely insightful moments, yet artfully dodges the excessive nappy filling, crying, vomiting and disruptive sleep patterns of babies, opting for a more ebullient insight into early human life that leaves us cynics questioning the documentary's heavily constructed nature.
Despite moments of power and a humbling reflection of baby-hood, the film is almost too passive in its approach. It is buoyant and light for its duration, but for the 23 year old childless cynic, Babies was nothing to go gaga over.