Bébé(s) (2010)

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

Director:

Thomas Balmès

Writers:

Alain Chabat (original idea), Thomas Balmès (adaptation)

Stars:

Bayar, Hattie, Mari

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bayar	...	Himself
Hattie	...	Herself
Mari	...	Herself
Ponijao	...	Himself

Storyline

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | namibia | mongolia | tokyo japan | san francisco california | 

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Taglines:

The babies are coming.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

France

Language:

English Japanese Mongolian

Release Date:

7 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bebés

Filming Locations:

Bayanchandmani, Töv Aimag, Mongolia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,161,460, 9 May 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,291,384, 4 July 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Chez Wam, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in CollegeHumor Originals: Nick Fury in Other Movies (2011)

User Reviews

Of course they're sweet! They're babies!

Documentary style exposition of the first year or so of the lives and experiences of four tiny tots from four widely divergent cultures. We watch basically from their eager-to-learn perspectives as these debutantes to the world learn to embrace life through the cultural lens of their respective families.

The babies' individual stories are told concurrently, with little vignettes of parallel events shown side-by-side to compare and contrast how the rudimentary experiences common to all people are filtered into the different cultures and life styles, but not essentially different in the end. Learning to crawl, walk, how to interact with others, learning about self, etc. are all shown in the normal development chronology. The children hobble, falter, struggle, cry in anguish and frustration, make pratfalls, experiment, learn, and finally succeed. And then: move on to the next challenge in the crazy and wonderful journey of life.

It's difficult to watch the children when they fail or feel pain. It's also cute and funny as their unique personalities begin to emerge: the San Francisco baby has the most humorous moment with her logical and effective reaction to an irritating PC kiddy song. There's very little dialogue; only a few words by the adults is used, as necessary for a few key events. Usually there's cooing or crying by the little ones. The intent works: the kids are the stars.

A gentle documentary that intentionally paces slow and focuses on the babies and how they react. Sweet, joyous, and upbeat.