Babies

Babies (Bébés, 2010) is Thomas Balmès' wordless documentary, free to watch online on iFILM. For eighteen months the camera trails four newborns — in Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the United States — from first cry to first steps.

Ponijao grows up in an Opuwo village surrounded by goats and older siblings. Bayar lies bundled on the Mongolian steppe while a calf wanders past. Mari toddles through a Tokyo apartment buried under toys. Hattie squirms through San Francisco between her parents' yoga mats and tubs of organic purée. No narration, no captions, no staging — just four first years cut side by side.

Balmès shot for a year and a half to distill these 79 minutes, and the comedy here is found, not written. It rewards viewers who would rather watch than be told what to feel. Stream Babies (2010) online on iFILM.