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 the primary focus of both the film and the women around him. His mannerisms, vocals and expressions felt very real to a child. With a part like Baby easily the performance could step the line into humorous, which for this film would have been a killer. He truly was this infant trapped in a man’s body and it made what happens to him all the more heart wrenching. The scenes can be found to be disturbing not because of gore content, but because of the depiction of a vulnerable person being taken advantage of and abused. His vulnerability and innocence seems to be always under attack by those around him, both by his family and those close to them. Some sequences are more blatant to prolong the discomfort while others let the imagination do the work. 

When Mrs Wadsworth and Ann get increasingly more confrontational, Ann tries to do what she believes is best for Baby. You can feel Ann’s frustration build towards the end as Mrs Wadsworth controls the situation so well, countering Ann while she fully knows what is going on, but cannot prove it. This leads to a very strong ending that has such a mix of emotions and a stunning finish. This is definitely a cult film that I suggest you give a try if you are looking for a down to earth thriller, that lets the characters carry the narrative.

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