Babies Movie May Violate Child Labor Laws, Critics Say



"Babies," the documentary movie by Thomas Balmes, is a chronicle of the lives of four infants from various backgrounds. The film is without dialogue, but bouncy music scores the moments of these infants' lives. "Babies" reviews make a point of reminding how cute it all is, but the 80-minute film distributed by Focus Features may not have that extra something that goes beyond the surface goo-goo. Cute little babies moving in time to music is the domain of 30-second commercials, not significant films. In fact, less attention is being paid to whatever message the "Babies" movie may offer than whether the documentary violates child labor laws in its handling of the youngsters – and whether Focus Features will need payday lending to cover potential fines.<
 

Were the 'Babies' in the movie exploited?

"Babies" baby Hattie from San Francisco may not are used in ways California law deems proper for infants, reports USA Today. In that state, infants must be at least 15 days old and have a doctor's note and legal permits before they can be filmed commercially. They're only allowed on camera 20 minutes per day, and throughout that time a studio teacher and nurse (paid for by the film's production business) must be present. These guidelines were not followed to the letter for Hattie in the "Babies" movie, claim some.
 

Film producer said the same rules didn't apply

Perhaps the producer was attempting to big-time Hattie's family. The subject infants in "Babies" were cast before they were born, said producer Amandine Billot to the Associated Press. After their birth, they were filmed "in their natural environments, like a wildlife film of human babies," Billot said. The California Labor Board has not officially opened an investigation to the "Babies" movie, but if they do, potential fines could range from $ 50 to $ 5,000 per infraction.
 

So it is California's fault
 

California certainly needs cash, so they could effortlessly determine to go following the film. CEO James Schamus is ready for a fight, however. He called the allegations against the "Babies" movie "irresponsible conjecture," reports the AP. Schamus underscored that "the filmmakers more than adhered to both the letter and spirit of the law".

Ready to go see what the 'Babies' fuss is about?
 

Not all the "Babies" reviews are negative. In fact, here's one that's quite positive from Beliefnet.com, which claims the documentary, when simple, is "meant to revel within the miracles, radiant innocence and fun nature of babies. You won't be able to leave the theater without feelings of warmth, happiness and delight". It's a flick Sandra Bullock could probably use right about now.
 

Resources for the article : 

USA Today
 

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/05/did-babies-break-the-law-/1

Beliefnet.com

http://blog.beliefnet.com/yourlittlecuties/2010/05/movie-review-babies.html