To look at the synopsis of Babies on paper and you could be excused for thinking – snooze-fest… but this is actually one brilliant documentary that will stick with you a long time after the closing credits end.
Babies sets out to follow four babies Ponijao (from Opuwo, Namibia), Mari (Tokyo, Japan), Bayar (Bayanchandmani, Mongolia) and Hattie (San Francisco, United States) from first breath to first steps, and boy is this a task that director, Thomas Balmes (How Much Is Your Life Worth, Nokia: A Decent Factory) takes to heart… and the result is a brilliantly stunning docco.
This is not just one of those doccos with interviews with excited parents just tacked together. No there are no interviews in sight, nor are there any narrations. Early on you feel that by not having a narration you could get lost but because of Balmes story-telling eye this is never a problem. Even better is the fact that Balmes has the skill to make this docco truly beautiful. He captures some wonderful shots and for some reason the babies seem to forget that the camera is there and he certainly does seem to capture the babies in their natural environment.
Babies is also a true celebration of motherhood. While some will find the birthing scenes hard to watch they certainly can’t help but agree that seeing the way a baby bonds with its mother on camera is an once in a lifetime experience.
Babies really is a cinematic masterpiece brought to life by one very skillful director indeed. This is one of the most beautiful doccos that you are ever likely to see.
Year: 2010
Director: Thomas Balmes
Stars: N/A
Classification: PG
Runtime: 79 mins
Rating: 