Tuesday, August 31, 2010

From Out Of The Cabbage Patch


Okay, so maybe I am a bit baby struck with grandbaby number 6 making his stupendous arrival last week. But let's face it. How many grandmas have 3 new little ones in less than a year?

But as precious as mine are, the fact is all babies have an affect on the human condition no matter how cynical or resistant to them you may be. After watching the trailer for Babies. With no narrative or subtitles, director Thomas Balmés brings the focus to the early moments of lives of four beautiful babies - easygoing Ponijao in Namibia, curious Bayarjargal in the remote farmland of Mongolia, Mari in her small apartment in Tokyo and Hattie, a pampered American in San Francisco.

A scrapbook of moments in this visual diary of these babies captures the essence of our commonalities and differences as the human animal develops. The documentary chronicles the first year of life and is delivered with charm and humor as Balmés sets his camera and lets each baby move through their world unobtrusively. The result is a magical peek into what goes on in the cabbage patch as these delightful babies crawl their way into childhood.

My son-in-law made a memorable comment when looking at his newborn son. "What's new, son?" "Everything, Dad!" Take a look at life through little eyes and see if some of that "new-ness" doesn't rub off on you. That's what a wise grandma would do.

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