A problem of cuteness.
They’re adorable, sure.
But do we have to stop there?
Within the last week, I’ve seen a full-length feature film about newborn babies (appropriately called Babies) – and a full-length feature film about the pets who survived Hurricane Katrina (MINE).
Remarkably, the three-plus hours involved did not turn me into a raving cynic. Instead of immersing me in stifling cuteness, both films were surprisingly thought-provoking, well-crafted, and worth recommending.
The one-two punch of these films left me thinking about how rarely I see a movie in which babies and critters aren’t exploited for their cuteness. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t mean to equate human infants and pets. I only mean to point out that we tend to give both character categories the same insultingly narrow treatment.
I’m hard-pressed to think of films in which infants or toddlers are treated as much more than a joke or an inconvenience. I’m not asking for them be to portrayed as sophisticated personalities; that’d be a stretch. But in the real world, babies demand respect. Why aren’t they given more respect at the movies?
Can you think of a film in which a toddler was taken seriously? Half-seriously?
In the same way, I’m having a hard time thinking of movies in which cats and dogs are treated as much more than comic relief. They’re a dash of “cuteness” to entertain the audience, usually. They’re onscreen so that they can adorably cover their eyes with a paw whenever human characters do something embarrassing. They’re shown escaping disaster, so audiences will cheer. Or, as in most animated films, they’re really representing human behavior, rather than causing us to think about the experiences of animals.
Thank God for MINE, a documentary that takes dogs seriously. The movie isn’t without its sentimental flourishes, but it treats God’s creatures as individuals deserving of respect and compassion. They’re shown to have tremendous influence in the lives of their caretakers. Here’s the trailer for MINE at FilmMovement.com. (The movie opens at the Pickford theater in Bellingham, Washington for a short run this week, and it’s available to subscribers of Film Movement.) Check it out if you get the chance, even if you aren’t a pet owner.
I’ll be reviewing both of the aforementioned movies soon. But before I do, I’m asking for your help:
Can you think of examples in which babies or pets are included for reasons other than cheap laughs?
Can we come up with enough titles to appease the angry hordes of disgruntled toddlers and insulted puppies who may be, even now, plotting their revenge?
I remember watching the Runaway Bride commentary and Garry Marshall talking about how he likes animals in films because they’re a good place to cut to if the actors are having an awkward moment.
As far as respect, I seem to remember Brinkley in You’ve Got Mail getting decent treatment…
Do I really need to bring up Balthazar?
Besides that, all that comes to mind immediately are the dog in Wendy & Lucy and the camel in Story of the Weeping Camel (not technically a pet, I know, but it’s still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen on film).
I immediately think of Ponette – I know she’s not a child, but she’s very young, and despite being perfectly adorable is treated with great respect and depth…
“Can you think of examples in which babies or pets are included for reasons other than cheap laughs?” Cujo? Rosemary’s Baby?
There’s probably something wrong with me, but like Reed the first thing I thought of was “Rosemary’s Baby.”
Also, as a kid I always though Shadow was an unusually serious depiction of a dog as a character in The Homeward Bound series.
Cofi, the dog from Alejandro Iñárritu’s Amores Peros comes to mind. And if you can find an intact version (not the U.S. cut) of The Plague Dogs, the dogs Snitter and Rowl are unforgettable. I think someone has posted the uncut British version on YouTube.
And dare I say…. Eraserhead.
Sara brought up Ponette, and I can sure second that! Ponette is not a toddler, admittedly, but what was she… four years old? Has anyone so young ever been portrayed on film with more religious sensitivity?
What about the dogs (or, for that matter, the horses) in Tarkovsky’s films? The dogs in Stalker and Nostalghia particularly come to mind.