Nothing says Mother’s Day quite like babies. The two go hand in hand. You can’t have either one without the other. What do we all have in common? We all started out as babies; and some of us have even matured from there. In the new documentary from Thomas Balmes we get a glimpse into the first 12 months of four babies who, though from different parts of the world, all share some pretty similar traits; which in some ways makes our vast planet seem a little bit smaller.

Bébé(s) (Babies) is an interesting peek into the family unit of different cultures. Parenting styles differ greatly from continent to continent and this film shows it in unscripted, dialogue free reality. Although the parents from Mongolia may feel perfectly at ease having their infant crawl in and out from under the large hooves of bovine you get the feeling that the California parents would be appalled to have their child in such surroundings. The Japanese baby in its modern city seems less content than the Namibia, African baby who has little more than a dirt floor to keep him entertained.

Many times the camera is sat in one place for minutes on end as a baby discovers the world around him. This lack of editing and movement will cause most movie goers to nod off or quickly become bored with what is playing out in front of them. There are a few humorous moments as seen in the trailer but these are rare. Mainly you are seeing them just be babies. That is fine if you really love to sit and watch babies. Whether or not that makes for a well done documentary is always up for debate. One plus was seeing each child from the point of birth all the way through standing and walking. That in itself was heart stirring. Twelve months seems short to us adults but it is incredible how much change a small human life goes through in that short span.

Babies is rated PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout. There is absolutely nothing offensive about the content but if you cancelled your National Geographic subscription due to modesty then you will not be happy here. It is hard to imagine anyone taking issue with something so beautiful and natural as childbirth and maternity, but know that it is there. It is tough to rate this film on any scale because it is made for such a niche audience. It moves back and forth from fascinating to tedious so many times that you sort of lose focus. Safe to say that moms and baby lovers will appreciate the content and those intrigued by social structures will like it for its comparative nature. The rest will crawl into a fetal position and cry until it is over. So says Matt Mungle.