Babies

The documentary follows four babies from birth to their first birthday. Ponijao lives in a village in Namibia, Bayar in a tent on the Mongolian steppe, Mari in a flat in Tokyo and Hattie in San Francisco. The film explains nothing: no narration, no subtitles, and the talk is not translated. The narrative sets the same stages of the four side by side: crawling, the first step, eating, sleeping and the first conflicts. Thomas Balmès directs. The documentary dates from 2010. The method is deliberately comparative; the same movement is shown in four settings and the difference is left to the viewer. Filming took about two years and separate crews worked with each family. The real observation it builds is the likeness of the babies against the difference of the adult worlds; what the children do is nearly identical, the surroundings entirely other. What was criticised is its selectiveness; the narrative leaves hardship and questions of health largely outside. The Namibian and Mongolian sections are the most cited, and the everyday relation with animals stands out. It reached a wide audience and was shown in cinemas. Who it is for: viewers who like observational documentary and comparative narratives. Who it is not for: no information is given, the structure repeats, and the narrative reaches no conclusion.