Babies Movie Analysis

I first watched this film two years ago when I saw it in the library DVD shelve. I found the concept of babies interesting since they are adorable and tiny, but watching it with a symbolic interaction perspective has given me an insight that I did not have the first time I watched it. Even though all the babies were born to different social environments and economic statuses, the parents wanted their child to be safe and provided what they perceived to be the best basic needs.
The film shows the mothers interacting more with the babies than the fathers. But the social interaction that fathers provide show a great insight to a community’s culture since a fathers’ roles can vary greatly depending on how they perceive gender roles. Hatti’s father appears in the film the most. It shows him taking her to a “mommy and baby” class, feeding her, and taking her a shower. At one point at a park, he puts her on a roller coaster and she ends up falling. Fathers are known to take higher risks with their children, which are important since mothers tend to cuddle their daughters more. Ponijao’s father did not appear in the film, but he did appear in the bonus features and got credit. Mari’s father is shown entertaining her while he talks on the phone.
He also has her on his lap while he is working, later she is shown playing on the floor with a CD. Bayarijargal is with his father in some sort of social gathering. They also share a communal bath with others in the community. After viewing the film I noticed that the girls spend more time with their fathers than the boys. That could be because of culture differences or customs of being more affectionate towards girls than boys.
All four babies grew up in different economic environments. Namibia, has flies constantly around and Ponijao is seen crawling on dirt. At times I am anxious for the child’s health, but as he grows up healthy, I realize that millions of babies are born under these conditions. The babies’ hygiene varies greatly, Bayarjargal is constantly outside without any clothes next to goats and cows. Hatti's father is seen vacuuming the carpet followed by cleaning Hatti’s clothes with a lint roller. Ponijao is seen outside with goats and playing near the water unsupervised. Bayarhargal is growing up in a pastoral society, where being outside with the animals is a natural thing, a goat is even seen drinking from his bath water. Cleanliness is not always seen as being important and in some of the environments being clean was impractical.
The relationship that I didn’t expect to see was that of siblings. Bayarjargal’s older brother is seen hitting him until he starts crying. In another scene he leaves him in the stroller outside with the cows. Ponijao also has an older brother who in the opening scenes are seen fighting. Both times the mothers gave verbal negative sanctions to the older siblings. The nonverbal interaction between these two sets of siblings have more common than differences even though they are from two vastly different cultures.
In this film I was surprised to see Bayarjargal being taken home in a motorcycle since in the United States it would be illegal.
I was also surprised to see Ponijao’s mother cutting his hair with a knife and how his mother cleaned his poop from her knee with a corn cob. These type of behaviors are common in their perspective countries, but brought out my ethnocentrism because in the United States, the Child Protection Services would be called immediately. These types of behaviors would be considered dangerous and unsanitary, but to them it is probably common and the norm. Using diapers are not practical for pastoral societies and buying electric clippers are not logical in a society that does not seem to use
electricity.
In this day in age, the internet has allowed us to explore different cultures from pastoral to postindustrial societies with a click on the web, but very few of us go beyond clicking a one minute video. Parents are often conflicted about raising their children in the best possible way, fearing that if they do not, they will raise a serial killer. This film reminds us that every mother and father want the best for their child. We should not stress out about our material culture since all children need is love and someone to teach them how to survive in their world.