Recently we have done a lot to prepare for our little bundle of joy’s arrival.  Our childbirth classes started last Tuesday and will continue for three more weeks.  We are also doing lots of painting around the house, while we still have time to do so.  This weekend we actually sat down for about eighty minutes to prepare in another way, by watching the recently released movie titled Babies.  The subject of this movie has been a hot topic among friends, and this movie came as a fun recommendation.

Babies follows four different children from their birth through about one year of age.  The four come from very different parts of the globe: Ponijao from Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal from Mongolia; Mari from Toyko, Japan; and Hattie from San Fransisco.  Though the environments that these babies are brought up in are very different, they all seem to develop at very similar rates and do pretty much the exact same things.  Though Ponijao spends most of her time in the dirt, she actually appears to be the first of the children who learns to walk.  Perhaps since she is left on her own to get around, she develops the skill more quickly out of necessity.

The movie itself has no narration, no clearly discernible language, just wonderful imagery of the children spliced together.  The intent must be to let the actions of the babies tell the story, which I think the movie does pretty well.  I would have been curious to see if some dialog would have made it even more powerful.  As it is hard for me to relate to the children growing up in underdeveloped nations, I think more information on the daily lives of these people could have created even more of a storyline.  Regardless, the movie was entertaining enough and easily conveys a message that despite differences, children from different cultures are very similar.