Look at that poster and tell me Ponijao isn't the cutest...
You’ve all seen the trailer for “Babies”. The one with the adorable little boy and girl from Namibia sitting in the dirt, smashing things with rocks. The girl decides to take a little plastic bottle from the boy. Of course the kids fight over it, the boy bites the girl, and she runs away crying. It’s cute. Yes, I’m saying crying children are cute.
Anyway, the documentary is just a continuation of the cuteness as it follows four newborns until just after their first birthday. Baby Bayar is from Mongolia. Hattie is from San Francisco. Mari is from Japan. And of course the cutest, most amazing baby is Ponijao from Namibia.
Which is the ugliest you ask? Well, that would be Hattie. What? If there’s a cute one, there has to be an ugly one. It’s not my fault. I guarantee you that everyone that leaves this movie asked each other, “Which was your favorite baby?” Or, “which baby did you think was the cutest?” I know I asked all of my friends. Some tried to pretend like it was mean to rank them too, but eventually everyone voted.
Sure Hattie’s just a kid. And she can’t do much about what genes she was born with, but that’s life. I’m just helping with her education. We judge people by their looks, and Hattie was not the cutest. I’m not saying she’s the ugliest baby in the world, I’m just saying that she’s the ugliest of four babies from around the world. Completely different.
Thomas Balmes documentary is an adorable journey through the lives of four newborns. It’s a simple documentary. There’s no annoying voice over, or explanations. It leaves out the bad stuff, which makes it pretty unrealistic, but it’s a comfort to be able to sit down and watch a movie designed to make us feel good. It’s innocent and drama free. A reassertion of the beauty of life. Something we forget about in a world dominated by oil spills, wars, and terrorism.
For those of you who don’t like cute, well you’re bastards, and this movie probably isn’t for you. Here’s one last look at Ponijao:
