Budding Humans is about the seemingly small, but extremely important steps children take in kindergarten to become great, empathetic people.

Throughout a year, we follow the everyday life of toddlers Balder and Haakon in a kindergarten in Norway. The film allows us to see how children socialize and interact with each other. The focus is on the friendship and bonds between them, as well as their conflicts, but it also tells us something about ourselves as human beings. As the children grow and unfold, they reflect what we all carry in our hearts.

Production notes

The warm and touching movie charms with its immense cuteness. It balances between gentle humor and serious incidents that happen during the children’s playtime. The daily life in a daycare centre is like a microcosm of the adult world. 

The drama arises in small magical moments, which are emphasised by the camera staying on the eye-level of the toddlers. The editing creates a feeling of compact everyday life. The camera angle makes the protagonists equal to adults and uncovers the age phase that defines the rest of a person’s life. In the daycare centre, little humans are raised to be good citizens.

Marita Nyrhinen (translated by Vilma-Lotta Mustonen)