This is less a film review than it is a film experience. This past week my wife and I took our son to see the new film Babies. If you haven’t seen the trailer for this do a web search and give it a quick view. To say that the trailer is inspiring would be an understatement. It’s rare that I am so compelled to see a film and even more rare that I am willing to pay the amount to actually go see it in the theater. My experience that day reinforced the importance of communal experiences like movie houses as well as the importance of sharing that with your children.
Granted, most films you’ll see would be unsuitable for a nine-month old but this one wasn’t. The film, without narration, visually shows the progress of four children from various parts of the world over the first year of their lives. Having personally witnessed three-quarters of one such life (my son’s) I have to say that the film was of particular interest to me on that basis alone. The movie, however, had so much more to offer.
My son was able to attend for free since he was under one year of age. This was fortuitous as I think he enjoyed the film more than anyone. While he is largely unable to access any film that contains spoken language (because he doesn’t understand it) he does understand the life of a baby during their first year. He was uniquely suited to be a critic of the film. He gave it a standing ovation. When the babies crawled he knew what that was like because he had just done it. When the learned to eat, or stand, or spit, or laugh he was able to re-experience those moments anew. When the babies learned to stand and walk he stood and clapped for their accomplishments and learned that he, too, could do those things while he was a baby. My son’s first experience in a movie theater was a success. He loved it. Luckily, the audience for babies didn’t mind having him standing, shouting, clapping, and laughing with the babies on the screen. One would think the film wouldn’t attract those who don’t like babies. What a great time!