Oh the joys of motherhood. People wax poetic about that “glow,” about the life-changing, almost divine experience of giving birth, about looking into your perfect little one’s screaming red face for the first time.

I may not be so sure about all that, but after having spent that last two years watching my niece progress from puffy-faced mewling to bona fide little girl obsessed with hide-and-seek and “mama shoe,” I can understand a little bit more about the joys of babyhood.

Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Balmès took a shot at giving us all a unique perspective into the joys of babyhood with his new documentary film Babies, out in theaters nationwide tomorrow.

Babies follows four babies from around the word, from birth to first steps. The adorably feisty Ponijao lives with her parents and eight brothers and sisters near Opuwo, Namibia; intrepid Bayarjargal is from the vast desert of Mongolia; curious Hattie lives with her very ecologically-minded parents in San Francisco; and temperamental Mari is from the tony Shibuya district of the hustling capital of Tokyo.

Now I’m not one of those who coo at every baby she sees — quite the opposite actually. But when I first saw the trailer for Babies back in November (which is also the hilarious opening scene in the film), I couldn’t wait to watch it. Like watching puppies and kittens on YouTube, something about watching the antics of wide-eyed, drooling babies can make the most cynical among us laugh. Balmès does an excellent job giving us a baby’s eye view of the world (he did most of the shooting alone, and at their “level”), and it’s the universality of a baby’s first interactions with the world around her that really hits home.

Like Mari’s frustrated tantrums when she can’t get the stick into the right hole. Or Ponijao’s discovery that she doesn’t possess what her brother does. Or Bayar’s obsession with unraveling the toilet paper roll.

Of course, given the widely varying locales, it’s also a fascinating look into the differences of raising children worldwide. In lands where water is scarce, mothers clean their children by sucking dirt off their faces, or squirting breast milk on them. Some babies witness the everyday chore of animal slaughters taking place right in front of them. And while Mari plays with CDs in a cramped Tokyo apartment and Ponijao keeps busy helping her mother crush red ochre with a rare agility, Bayar finds all the entertainment he needs in his parents’ yurt (a circular thatch hut) while tethered to the bed.

Indeed, the most charismatic baby was Bayar from Mongolia. Saucer-eyed, chubbier-cheeked than most, and seemingly unfazed by anything (including a troublemaking older brother, a too-curious goat, a herd of calves casually stepping over him), Bayar often had to fend for himself, resulting in the most fascinating interactions and learning experiences.

As herders, Bayar’s parents were always busy but nearby. “We trusted [the filmmakers] because we can’t always be staying [at home],” said Purev, Bayar’s father. “We have so many things to do — make sure that the stove be warm and kids be fed, take care of the cattle.” Adds Mandakh, Bayar’s mother, “We are nomads. We can’t always be inside and taking care of our baby.”

But Bayar’s parents got a chance to catch up once they watched the finished product. Their favorite part? Bayar taking his first steps on the vast plains of Mongolia, seemingly alone and on top of the world. “He’s the real Mongolian,” says Purev, “standing against the wind. And smiling.”

Oddly enough, I found that I related the most to the lifestyle of Mari’s Japanese fashion-industry parents. Mother-baby classes with Japanese versions of American children’s songs, trendy striped legwarmers, McLaren strollers.

Based on an original idea by producer Alain Chabat, Babies was originally pitched as a “wildlife film on human babies.” And indeed, that is the feel of the film, which has no commentary, just music. You’re drawn to and invested in the babies and their families because you get to see the mothers while still pregnant and, in some cases, the actual births. Indeed, when Balmès was looking for babies to shoot, he was “casting” pregnant mothers, long before their babies were due. “We hired our little stars without knowing their faces or even genders,” said Balmès.

“I dreamt of a movie theater audience that would applaud because a baby would stand on their own two feet,” said Balmès. “These tiny things are huge adventures for them – and we’ve all been through that. I felt we could show the commonalities as well as the differences among these babies.

“I hope Babies shows that no matter what their conditions are, wherever they live, these babies grow up happy as long as they are loved, and that is universal,” added Balmès.

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Babies, a Focus Features film, opens tomorrow in theaters nationwide. Find out more at Babiesthemovie.com.

And now four lucky readers will get a Babies onesie just for their own little adventurer. Just comment below and tell us whether you need a 12 mos. or 24 mos. size onesie!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Photos courtesy of Focus Features.

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Tags: africa, alain chabat, babies, documentary, film, focus features, mongolia, motherhood, namibia, onesie, thomas balmes, tokyo

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