Babies as a Very Interesting Documentary Film - Movie Review Example

? Reaction Paper to The Movie Babies Reaction Paper to the Movie Babies Introduction ‘Babies’ is a very interesting documentary film that follows up in the lives of four human beings in the first year of their growth and development process. The film is not the average Hollywood movie that has a great plot with great action and super actors but it still manages to be attractive and captivating to the audiences. The main characters in the movie are children who are in their first year of growth. The film was directed by Thomas Balmes, a renowned French film director and produced by Alain Chabat. The film was produced and released in France in 2010 through French television channel Canal and was later on release in the US through Focus Features. The movie is very interesting and useful for both entertainment and educative value. The documentary follows up in the lives of four babies in four different parts of the world, each representing a different culture. The movie director spent slightly over a year filming the children to record their lives and how they are brought up in their different cultures. The documentary has neither subtitles nor narrations from the director. This makes the film very interesting because it lets the viewers to watch everything and make their own judgments. The children are the main characters in the film and their parents are only shown in scenes where they interact with the children through feeding, cleaning and other activities. The babies in the film are taken from Africa, Asia, and America. Two of the children are taken from the rural upbringing while the other two are taken from the urban societies. The babies are Ponijao from Opuwo in rural Namibia, Africa; Bayarjargal, also known as Bayar, from Bayanchandmani, a rural home in Mongolia, Asia; Mari, from Tokyo, an urban set up in Japan, Asia and Hattie from San Francisco in the US (Balme?s, 2010). Review of the film and Thesis Statement The documentary brings out different aspects of our society in relation to raising children. The movie brings out different insights including child socialization, religion, diversity, personality and motivation in as far as they relate to how different societies raise their children. The film also has both sociological and psychological relevance with reference to growth and development of the children in the society. The psychological aspects of the children’s growth and development include basic reflexes, motor development, and brain development of the children as they encounter different things in their day to day lives. The sociological aspects of the children’s growth include the impact of their cultural and religious values on their development. The film received great responses from critics upon its release in 2010. Rotten Tomatoes, a film review site gave the documentary a score of 69% based on ninety one reviews with a consensus opinion that the movie is a great celebration of the humankind filled with adorable images of children albeit lacking in depth and an insight. Metacritic, another renowned film review site gave the film a score of 63%, while Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the movie a score of grade ‘B’. Katey Rich of Cinema Blend describes the movie as being very brilliant despite its simplistic nature. The documentary is rated PG for its depiction of cultural and maternal nudity (Balme?s, 2010). This essay seeks to give a reaction to the movie through examining the various aspects of the movie and the main themes expressed in the movie. The paper will examine, analyze and discuss the relationship between the different cultural aspects and psychological elements in the movie while also showing a relationship between the main themes in the documentary. Analysis and Reaction Diversity Diversity is a major theme expressed throughout the documentary. The documentary showcases the cultural diversity that is present in the world. It is amazing how children grow up happily in very different environments but still manage to be awesome children despite having come from very different economical, sociological and cultural backgrounds. The four children in the movie come from very diverse backgrounds that contribute to their great upbringing in their first year during the filming of the movie. On watching the film, one is perplexed about how diverse human cultures are across the world, yet we remain the same species of the human kind. Despite the different cultures however, one important and most common element in all cultures across the world as expressed in the movie is the love and respect that is given to little children. Child rearing is a very important aspect of the human nature. Despite this being affected by different socio-cultural, ethnic and religious values, the underlying fact is that children are very important in the society and the adults have a special role to play in their growth and development. The diversity that characterizes how child rearing is done in different parts of the world only serves to give different colors to our fabric of the human nature, making the human race very beautiful and special. Ponijab, a baby brought up in rural Namibia, for instance, helps to showcase how children in poor parts of the world are brought up ((Balme?s, 2010). In this Namibian community, the whole society is involved in growth and development of the children. From the movie, it is difficult to tell who the real mother of Ponijab is, since most other women are involved in bringing up the child. The role of the father is however very minimal in the case of Ponijab. In another part of the world, in Mongolia, Bayar also grows in a poor part of the country. He is given much freedom to play with his siblings and animals in their rural farm with a minimal role of the parents as compared to other communities. The mother however plays an active role at times in his growth. Bayar’s growth shows how sibling rivalry can be at such a young age as he grows with his other siblings. Mari from Japan grows up in a modern environment where she plays with industry made baby items while also being taken by her mother for baby play dates with other children in the city. Hattie, who grows up in an urban city in the US also enjoys ample time with baby toys as well as attending organized baby activities. Both the mother and the father play active roles in the growth of both Mari from Japan and the American Hattie. These diverse upbringings do not however deny the children the joy they need in their different set ups in their different societies. Morality/Religion Religion is a very important element of any society. Different religious teachings and values affect the way children are brought up in the community (Andrew, 2011). In the documentary, the children are brought up in communities with different religious backgrounds that have a huge impact on their general development. Both Ponijab and Bayar are brought in traditional societies infused with traditional religious values regarding how the children are brought up in the community (Balme?s, 2010). Mari and Hattie on the other hand are brought up in cosmopolitan developed cities of the world with minimal attention given to religious beliefs. Each child is brought up with only the parents without active role of other community members. Development/Socialization Socialization refers to how values are inculcated in the children as they grow up in their societies. The movie portrays the different ways through which children are socialized in their communities. All the children are socialized in different ways as they gain skills that shape their personalities and help them to fit in their societies. Ponijab’s socialization involves growing up with the wider community, showing the significance of the community in his future life. As she becomes older, she begins to crawl in the nearby mud finding items to play with while also attempting to put some of those things such as sticks and bones in her mouth. Her mother does not fret at her actions and lets her have the freedom she desires as she grows up. Similarly, Bayar’s socialization in Mongolia sees her afforded freedom to interact with the siblings and the animals in their farm. At some point a goat tries to drink from an aluminum basin that she is showering from before she is shooed away. Mari and Hattie on the other hand grow up with all the necessary conveniences of modern child life. Mari for instance, is very scared of animals in Japan, unlike Bayar who easily interacts with animals at their farm. She grows up in the City of Tokyo where she crawls in a much better environment with grass as opposed to mad in the case of Bayar and Ponijab (Balme?s, 2010). Hattie is also afforded the comfort of a backyard Jacuzzi in her parent’s home in San Francisco. Much like Mari from Japan, she engages in structured children activities such as bay yoga and going for bay ply dates. Self personality The children acquire their personalities as they grow and interact with other in their surroundings (Balme?s, 2010). The parents and the rest of the community help to shape the personality of the children. In Namibia, the wider community plays a very significant part in shaping the personality of Ponijab as they are all involved in nurturing the child. She plays with her childhood friends in their surroundings. The same is the case for Bayar in Mongolia, who spends most of her time with her siblings, who in a way contribute to her personality development through their sibling rivalry. Different issues in their urban settings influence Mari and Hattie’s personalities. Unlike their counterparts in Africa and Asia, they lead a more or less solitary life in their homes and only get to meet their friends at baby play dates and in other structured activities. The lack the freedom to shape their own character as much of their activities are guided by either their parents of organizers of child activities in urban centers. Motivation This refers to the drive that move people to achieve certain heights in the community. Children are motivated by different things and as the documentary shows, different cultures motivate children in different ways. Bayar in Mongolia derives her motivation from the desire to outplay her siblings through positive sibling rivalry. Ponijab in Namibia is given much freedom to work on her own and enjoy her time with other in her community. She gets her motivation from her interactions with others in her community. Mari and Hattie on the other hand get their motivations from their parents who play a very active role in their growth and development and who interact with them most of the time. Reference Balme?s, T. (Director). (2010). Babies [Documentary]. d: Universal. Read More