Posts

Showing posts from January, 2020

The Baby (1973)

Ann is a social worker newly assigned to a family who has been on benefits for a long while. The adult son of the family is debilitated mentally, stuck in his infant stages. His Mother and sisters take care of him as any child would need to be. Ann’s goal is to assess Baby and find whether he would benefit from programs that could potentially assist him into society. When she arrives she is greeted calmly and well by the family. As she interacts further with Baby, she starts to fear that his mental disability may have outside sources.  Ann’s and Mrs Wadsworth’s relationship is the highlight of the film. With two great actresses together you can feel the tension between them. When Ann is attempting to show Mrs Wadsworth that Baby is capable of handling instructions to get a ball and toss it back to her. Now that Wadsworth is standing right there, the shifting camera from Baby to Mrs Wadsworth’s scornful gaze highlights what happens. Baby becomes reclusive again, ignoring Ann.  Baby is t...