"BABIES" (2010) (Documentary) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Moderate Minor Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None None None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Minor Moderate Minor QUICK TAKE: Documentary: A look at four babies around the world from birth to first steps, focusing on the difference and similarities in their development in different cultures. PLOT: Documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes takes a look at four babies around the world -- Ponijao in Namibia, Bayar in Mongolia, Mari in Tokyo and Hattie in San Francisco -- from their births up to their first steps. Without any narration, the film shows the similarities and differences in terms of how they're raised and develop through those early years in different cultures. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into watching young kids they might be interested, but older tweens and teens likely won't if they don't share that interest. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For cultural and maternal nudity throughout. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: The children and their parents all appear as themselves, doing what they normally would in terms of their respective cultural situations (such as the women in Namibia always being topless as is the norm for them, while the babies in all locales explore and learn while occasionally throwing tantrums, etc.). CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this documentary that's been rated PG. No profanity or colorful phrases are present. Nudity (bare breasts and a few butts for the adult women, bare genitals and butts of both sexes as infants) is present throughout much of the film, but in a natural (and cultural) rather than exploitative or sensationalistic fashion. Some scatological material is present, as is some potentially imitative behavior, while a few brief scenes (featuring infants that could potentially be in danger, but ultimately aren't) might be a tiny bit unsettling to some viewers. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE A newborn baby is covered in related birth goo, and the umbilical cord is seen as is some defecation on the infant's bottom. A Namibian mother wipes her infant's bottom on her own leg, and then uses a corn cob to wipe that excrement off her leg. We see a urine stream going into the air from an infant's visible penis. We see a baby sitting in clothes, straining and presumably relieving itself. We see animal intestines and other organs in bowls as the animal is gutted in the background of the shot. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Bayar's slightly older brother repeatedly hits him with some clothes and then pushes him out into the pasture, leaving him alone out there in his stroller. FRIGHTENING SCENES A large rooster hops up onto a bed where Bayar is lying, defenseless. Some may worry that the bird will peck or otherwise attack the child, but it doesn't. A Namibian mother uses a large knife to shave her child's head (with no lather, etc.). It's done without any intention of malice, but it might unnerve some viewers. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Some of the kids throw tantrums at one point or another. A baby bites another, followed by one hitting the other. A baby uses a rock to smash things. Bayar's parents take him home on a motorcycle, with the mom holding him on the back, without any sort of safety restraint. We see Bayar sucking on a homemade pacifier constructed from a piece of meat with a matchstick through it (to prevent the meat from being swallowed). A young child drags the family cat across the floor by a leash and collar, but the cat doesn't seem to mind. A Namibian mother uses a large knife to shave her child's head (with no lather, etc.). It's done without any intention of malice, but it might unnerve some viewers. Bayar's slightly older brother repeatedly hits him with some clothes and then pushes him out into the pasture, leaving him alone out there in his stroller. One young Namibian boy grabs the bare penis of another, prompting that one to grab his own penis and play with it. That boy then apparently does the same again while lifting his loincloth, prompting an older boy to pull that loincloth down to stop him. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY The mothers seen in the Namibia scenes (of which there are many throughout the film) are always topless (thus bare breasts, including when breastfeeding), while infants are seen nude and older children are seen in loincloths. We see a bare pregnant belly. We see a newborn's penis. We see a child being breastfed. We see Hattie's mom lying in bed topless. We see two Namibian mothers breastfeeding, along with more bare breast views. We see Mari's shirtless father. We see Ponijao's bare butt. We see a toddler's penis and bare butt. We see a urine stream going into the air from an infant's visible penis. We see more Namibian bare breasts, including one mother simultaneously breastfeeding two children. We see more infant bare butts. A mother squirts milk from her bare breast onto her infant's face. Mari's mom shows a little cleavage. We see brief and partial bare breast and butt views of Hattie's mom who's nude in a hot tub with Hattie. We briefly see Hattie's genitals while she's crawling. One young Namibian boy grabs the bare penis of another, prompting that one to grab his own penis and play with it. That boy then apparently does the same again while lifting his loincloth, prompting an older boy to pull that loincloth down to stop him. We see multiple views of a toddler's penis and scrotum. We see Bayar's bare penis. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Bayar's slightly older brother repeatedly hits him with some clothes and then pushes him out into the pasture, leaving him alone out there in his stroller. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT How babies are pretty much the same at a young age, regardless of the culture in which they're raised. Those cultural differences in which they grow up. How the cultural nudity (bare-breasted women in Namibia) is accepted, while the same isn't true in most Western countries. Bayar's parents take him home on a motorcycle, with the mom holding him on the back, without any sort of safety restraint. VIOLENCE A baby bites another, followed by one hitting the other. Bayar's slightly older brother repeatedly hits him with some clothes. Reviewed April 21, 2010 / Posted May 5, 2010

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