Birth

Birth is one of the best movies on screen this year featuring a fantastic performance from Nicole Kidman. It is a character portrait of grief and love and Kidman is ab... more >

Birth is one of the best movies on screen this year featuring a fantastic performance from Nicole Kidman. It is a character portrait of grief and love and Kidman is ably supported by her co-stars. Jonathan Glazer took a very refreshing different route from Sexy Best. I was glad I saw this movie, very glad.

Birth is mesmerising, hypnotising, it is a very delicate movie. < less

In Birth, a new film about reincarnation by Jonathan Glazer, ten-year old Sean (Cameron Bright) suddenly appears in the house of a wealthy widow, Anna (Nicole Kidman) ... more >

In Birth, a new film about reincarnation by Jonathan Glazer, ten-year old Sean (Cameron Bright) suddenly appears in the house of a wealthy widow, Anna (Nicole Kidman) and announces that he is the reincarnation of her husband, also named Sean, who died ten years ago. Anna at first dismisses young Sean as a prankster but has second thoughts when her brother-in-law tapes an interview with Sean and learns some intimate details that only Anna's husband could have known. Anna and Joseph talk with the boy's parents but they deny that he has ever mentioned these thoughts before. Though reluctant, Sean's parents agree to have Sean stay at Anna's for a few days. When Sean summons Anna to meet him in Central Park in a spot that only she knows, they rendezvous at the underpass where her husband died and she begins to fall in love with the boy. (This leads to some awkward moments as when the two share a bath together but the scene is innocent and there is no hint of exploitation.).

Slow-paced, brooding, and atmospheric, Birth maintains a high degree of suspense throughout and the film works as both a compelling psychological thriller and a metaphysical mystery. Writers Jean-Claude Carriére and Milo Addica keep the dialogue on a realistic level and the film is held together by Kidman's highly nuanced performance. One of the best sequences is a two-minute close up of Anna at a concert, her face moving through a range of emotions that make us wonder what thoughts are going through her head. While the ending places Birth in neutral territory, the film courageously reminds us of the essential mystery of life and death. On a more down to earth level, it also presents the pitfalls inherent in holding onto attachments that prevent us from living fully in the present moment.
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Cast

Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston

Technical Details