'BABIES': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Veteran documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes directs and writes (from an idea by Alain Chabat) this film following four babies from their first breath to their first step. The film focuses on Bayar, Hattie, Mari, and Ponijao for the first year of their life as cameras pretty much follow them wherever they go. Each baby is also from a different location from around the world with babies coming from Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo. The Blu-ray and DVD also features a bonus feature where the director returns to each baby and their family a few years later and shows them the completed film.
The movie is extremely slow paced with very little dialog and no narration. The parents are seen here and there but say very little, the video seen is almost entirely of the babies. There's no real direction or plot and the movie plays out exactly as described; just a year in the life of the four babies. It's kind of more like a nature documentary than anything based on people we've ever seen before. This has driven some viewers mad with boredom and I have to admit I was pretty bored at times and found my mind drifting. The babies are extremely cute though and there is some entertaining video.
I think the point of the film is to show that we are all the same just raised differently in different cultures. This is a pretty simple and obvious message though and although the video is cute and entertaining pretty much any filmmaker with the right equipment could make a movie like this. If you film babies for long enough you're going to get some sweet and amusing video , all you have to do is edit it together nicely. While this film is put together nicely there could have been a little more to it. Like I said of course the video is sweet, uplifting and enjoyable to watch but it's also boring frequently and there was just so much more potential for a better film.
Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBr4LOQxrmg
Veteran documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes directs and writes (from an idea by Alain Chabat) this film following four babies from their first breath to their first step. The film focuses on Bayar, Hattie, Mari, and Ponijao for the first year of their life as cameras pretty much follow them wherever they go. Each baby is also from a different location from around the world with babies coming from Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo. The Blu-ray and DVD also features a bonus feature where the director returns to each baby and their family a few years later and shows them the completed film.
The movie is extremely slow paced with very little dialog and no narration. The parents are seen here and there but say very little, the video seen is almost entirely of the babies. There's no real direction or plot and the movie plays out exactly as described; just a year in the life of the four babies. It's kind of more like a nature documentary than anything based on people we've ever seen before. This has driven some viewers mad with boredom and I have to admit I was pretty bored at times and found my mind drifting. The babies are extremely cute though and there is some entertaining video.
I think the point of the film is to show that we are all the same just raised differently in different cultures. This is a pretty simple and obvious message though and although the video is cute and entertaining pretty much any filmmaker with the right equipment could make a movie like this. If you film babies for long enough you're going to get some sweet and amusing video , all you have to do is edit it together nicely. While this film is put together nicely there could have been a little more to it. Like I said of course the video is sweet, uplifting and enjoyable to watch but it's also boring frequently and there was just so much more potential for a better film.
Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBr4LOQxrmg