Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A non-narrated documentary following the lovesome lives of four infants from birth to their first birthday. The babies featured are two from rural areas: Ponijao from Opuwo, Namibia, and Bayar from Bayanchandmani, Mongolia, as well as two from urban areas: Mari from Tokyo, Japan, and Hattie from San Francisco, USA.
Babies (2010) is a charming, narration-free documentary that derives its appeal almost entirely from Thomas Balmès's intimate and visually stunning cinematography, capturing four infants across vastly different cultural landscapes with warmth and technical finesse. The comparative cultural framing gives it modest novelty, though the concept of following babies isn't entirely singular. The lack of any narrative structure or editorial argument is both its artistic choice and its limitation — there is essentially no plot, and the ending simply arrives without resolution or insight. Acting is a non-category here, but the natural, unguarded behavior of the babies and their families is genuinely compelling. Overall it's a lovely watch but light on depth.