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Stillborn

Micheal Glazer pulls out all the Bergmanesque devises in his film "Birth". The opening scene features soon-to-be-late Sean as a hooded Angel of Death, jogging through Central Park. Despite the exquisite cinematographyand elegant settings, the film rings hollow and pretentious.

Uptight Joseph's (Huston) engagement to aloof Anna (Kidman) takes a nosedive when a 10 year old boy (Bright, channeling Haley Joel Osment) announces that he is her dead husband. Huston does what he can with this thankless, two-dimentional role. Kidman, in a $2 fright wig, flares her nostrils and looks pouty.

Much like "Truly Madly Deeply" (1991) "Birth" demands a gigantic suspension of disbelief, to say the least. Unlike that film, which featured vibrant and passionate performances, "Birth" is clinical and intense, like an autopsy. Even Hache's loony-bin Clara (and nobody does loony-bin better than Hache) fails to ignite these chilly procedings.

I'm fine with controversy. I'm fine with bizarre, otherworldly stories. What irritates and disappoints me are films that are all style and little substance, films that offer clumsy expository dialogue in place of sublety and craft.

Bergman, this ain't.

Stephanie Ein

{28 votes}

June 3, 2005

Pushing... a bit too much?

Let's get down to the stats right away, Birth is a very well written script. Well I'm getting ahead of myself, it was nicely written for about 60% of the movie. We all know by now that seeing Nicole Kidman between Halloween and Christmas means only one thing, her attempt to win Hollywood's golden boy: the Oscar.

Is Birth enough for a nomination? I'd like to think not. We've seen Nicole Kidman in bigger and better things throughout her career see The Hours, Moulin Rouge and even Dogville for reference. What can help her get a nod though is that 2004 was a slow year overall. I like Irma Staunton's chances for Vera Drake. Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine and from what I'm hearing Hilary Swank. This leaves two spot open... but I'd be surprised to see her nominated.

Back to the movie, Birth tries to push boundaries but overall doesn't do much. It tries to be edgy and unique but somehow seeing a grown woman falling in love with a 10 year old isn't my thing. And for the people who think I got something against Nicole Kidman guess again. I liked Moulin Rouge! so gimme a break on the hate mail. She was actually pretty good in this movie but Danny Huston is better. Playing the role of her future husband Danny Huston might just become a household name here in America. Fans be warned he will appear in the Aviator a bit later this month. I'd like to give a hand to the young boy, Cameron Bright, in the movie who played his character wonderfully.

Overall, Birth is different from what we get to see usually... but not different enough to make it a true winner.

Anthony Narciso

{8 votes}

December 16, 2004

Aching for death

Nicole Kidman proves once again she can act only as a wimpy woman, needing a man to help her through her grief and bizarre growing feelings for a 10 year old child. Everyone she turns to in this movie for help is a big strong man, the women are shown to be soft and passive, except for a moment from Anna's sister, who shows some guts for a minute when she expresses her disgust with the situation.

Neither the kid no Anna have any emotion except some staring and crying scenes. The best character is Joseph, who actually shows emotion and frustration and disgust, in contrast to the stone-faced emotion of Kidman.

The ending was predictable. I had read on Ebert's site that it's hard to guess, but really, I was hoping I was wrong in my prediction within the first 5 minutes of the movie. I was sadly wrong, nothing surprising. None of the interesting potential twists were followed, they just stopped. The characters of Clifford and Clara start to be very interesting, but are dropped for a few minutes here or there. Disappointing.

The only disturbing thing about Birth is that it garners Kidman more critical acclaim, something I have never understood. I think it's time for a new generation of film critics to come into the picture, Ebert and his counterparts who recommend this flick for anyone, ever, must be sleeping through the movie. I sure wish I had.

Jennifer Carter

{15 votes}

November 6, 2004

Saw: Birth

Good news, folks! As it was previously thought, "Birth" is not a disturbing as everyone foreseen... It's disturbing, though, in HOW BAD it's really is. It seem like Jonathan Glazer, the man behind the great "Sexy Beast", have a unhealthy fascination for the late great Stanley Kubrick - in some way, the same kind of fascination that the central character of his story, Sean (Cameron Bright), has for Anna (Nicole Kidman) - and that fascination produce this turkey. Miam!

The movie open with the image of a jogger passing his way through Central Park - you guess pretty fast that it's Sean and that he's about to die. The whole scene could have been done in 2 minutes, flat, but, for some reason, Glazer decided to make it break the 5 minutes mark. Why? The hell if I know! Ten years after the jogger stop jogging, a little boy, also called Sean, come to his window and claims to be her dead husband... just like that. What we realize, though, is that the death of her spouse have really, REALLY, affected Anna, who, even though she just got engage with a dude named Jos (Danny Huston), start to actually entertain the kid's ridiculous claim. Does that sound interesting? Well, it ain't. It's tedious, imbecile, pompous, pointless, narcissistic, stupid, souless, empty, moronic, without a clue, long, VERY LONG, all that and more, but, boy, it ain't interesting.

How bad it was? To prove to anyone that he is a Kubrick fanatic, Glazer kept shooting big-ass close-up of everyone faces, especially Nicole Kidman, who just happen to have been in Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut". A still shot of one of the most flawless face in Hollywood... Not bad, eh? Think again: after more then 6 MINUTES of a poised, speechless Kidman, even her most harden fans will wish that someone, anyone, would drag them out of the theatre.

Miramax thought of letting this film on the shelves because of his controversial subject matter. Well, for their sakes and, particulary, ours, "Birth" should have stayed dead.

Joseph Belizaire

{14 votes}

October 28, 2004

Not For Everyone!!

I saw the advanced screening of the movie "Birth"- a thought-provoking drama about life, death, love,supernatural etc. It is definitely,NOT,for everyone to see!!

What great cinematography! The spectacular opening shot --the tracking shots--the snowny cold winter in Central Park-- very impressive!

All the performers did quite well. Nicole Kidman as Anna is stunning(as usual) and shows us how great she is in handling any role. One scene, in particular, caught my attention. At the opera,while listening to Wagner's music, the expressions on Kidman's face show us her thoughts,her feelings and whatever she is experiencing emotionally so vividly in her eyes and her face. What a great actress!! Cameron Bright gave an excellent performance,just like he did in "Godsend" and "Butterfly Effect"

I did not care for the nude scene with 36 year old Nicole and 10 year old Cameron,nor the kissing scene.

This was a different movie,and not for everyone!!

Vicky Parisella

{12 votes}

October 28, 2004

A Grief Observed

Birth is a remarkable film. This is the kind of film that used to be made when artists like Bergman were at their peak. Evocative question marks that dare to look inside the human heart, and the heart of a woman, to see how far down the well goes before we hear the stone in the water. How successful Birth is may be one thing, but that it makes an honest attempt is clear.

Certainly Birth defies popular expectations. It walks a fine line, suggesting the moody atmosphere of the gimmicky Sixth Sense, not just in character choices but in visual tone. There is also a surprise, but unlike The Sixth Sense, Birth is not about the gimmick or the surprise.

It's also not about anything that should have audiences climbing onto the certainty of a moral position. In fact, I would think any kind of moral grand-standing in regards to this movie might question itself, for surely those who cry the loudest against the subject matter here, are the same who revel in bodies blown to bits as entertainment.

No, Birth is more problematic than that. This story is interested in genuine questions, such as how long does grief last, and how sure are we of our reality? And, when our reality is upturned, as will sometimes happen, what are we capable of believing? It is an eloquent search that follows a pattern of doubt across the heart of woman who grieves not once, but twice, and because of this she makes decisions that are, at least on the surface, possibly insane. But that is, after all, what grief is, a temporary blindness that follows its own laws.

Kidman deserves a nomination, so does Danny Huston. It is one of the best of the year. It is not for those who don't understand a little bit of film history, nor is it for those who hurt themselves when they stumble below the surface of things. Sometimes films, you see, do make us uncertain, and that is the point.

Thomas Bauer

{11 votes}

October 28, 2004

Pre-emptive critique of...BIRTH

Disturbed.

Repellent.

Morbid.

Sick.

These are just a few of the choice words one might use to describe BIRTH, Nicole Kidman's new movie.

Frankly, the subject matter is so grim and improper I'm amazed that Lars von Trier isn't directing it.

We've all see movies where the dead spouse comes back from the dead to trump up the pending nuptuals of the living one (that's *finally* moved on) in the form of a younger person. Hey, they made for great romantic comedy fodder during the 80's but at least they had the sense to put the age limit at puberty!

Here we have Nicole Kidman being stalked and wooed by a little boy under the apparent belief that he is her late husband. This would be disturbing enough without Kidman's character starting to reconsider her feelings for him. We're talking about Michael Jackson bait here not some twentysomething actor pretending to be a kid under a lot of make-up. No matter how you play it people will be made uncomfortable on some basic level.

I love the cast and the director and it's entirely possible that BIRTH is going to transcend its twisted synopsis but that's one tall order.

I get that Kidman wants to push herself as an artist and is always looking for that all important Oscar nod but as far as I'm concerned she did her penance with DOGVILLE.

Pedro Eggers

{41 votes}

October 15, 2004

Strange story + bad interpretation = bad movie

I saw this one only because a friend already rented it and had couple of days lef till return dayt, so I figured why not, let's watch. At first I was slightly reluctant to see it because I thought it was going to be a scary movie, then when I was done watching it, I wished I hadn't seen it, not because it was scary but for being lame and ultimately wasting my time. And this is unfortunate: the performances by Kidman and Cameron Bright were spectacular, and the unique perspective of the story could have make the movie fly. But, if the plot is poorly executed no amount of acting can save it. And that is sadly the bottom line. Do not waste the time in seeing this one. If you want to see Nicole's acting genius, rent Hours- the movie that did win her the Oscar.

Ivana Z.

October 30, 2006

Can anyone explain the ending to me?

I actually found "Birth" quite compelling. However, the ending, which I watched twice just in case I had missed something, completely baffled me. Why do you think "Anna" suddenly lost her bundle as she was being photographed? Please help. Any and all theories would be appreciated.

Jo French

July 7, 2006

Challenging

Birth does not entirely work. The subject matter is too awkward, the pacing is often stilted and, while there is some very good acting, elements of the supporting cast fail to make the grade.

The subject matter is obviously controversial: imagine your dead lover reincarnated in the body of a ten-year-old boy. How does one react to such a scenario? Birth does not sufficiently explore this metaphysical premise, but neither does it shy away from the emotional effect of such a scenario.

Jonathan Glazer turns in a very strange little movie as director. Jump cuts tend to disorient the viewer throughout the film and understated performances by Peter Stormare and Anne Heche are employed to maximum effect. The film is likewise scored to maximum efficiency.

Ultimately, while the movie does not satisfy as a philosophical treatise, it does encourage satisfying performances from its principals.

Robert Tremblay

January 19, 2006

Where's the interest?

I didn't like Sexy beast, Glazer's previous movie. Except for the great acting, I thought that there was no other quality in the film... This time, he is back with the same recipe : great actors, but nothing else. The story is lame, the direction is not interesting at all, in short, there's no reason to suffer, oups... watch that movie. Talking about reincarnation and sexual attraction for kids in the same movie may create controversy, but it doesn't bring entertainment or reflection. Finally, my advice is : rent any other movie but don't come close to this one.

Rémi Boivin

{2 votes}

May 4, 2005

Pushing the boundaries

Movies nowadays seem to keep pushing the envelope and this movie is no exception. I understand all the controversy but it really does not live up to the buzz. The movie is decent but I guess I was expecting more. Some parts of the movie will prove to be disturbing to some so read up about before going.

Nicole Kidman is trying to break away from her normal roles with this movie and Dogville but they all seem to be falling flat. She is starring in Bewitch which like Stepford Wives is a remake. I think she will have better luck there.

Selena Lobo

December 7, 2004

interesting...

I have just returned from watching the film Birth and I have to say that I thought it was absolutely mesmerising. I am a big Nicole Kidman fan and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance in this film! The film is definitely interesting and away from the mainstream, however, to say that it encourages peaodophilia is ridiculous, in the context of the film those scenes were justified (even if they did make the viewer feel unconfortable - however, this is not the first and will not be the last film that has made me feel unconfortable). The film isn't for everyone as it is slow paced but if you like thought provoking films it is definitely for you!!

Elizabeth Mc Millan

November 7, 2004

sad soups crying into sour milks --

...for all of the hype about birth and the subject matter - i find the reactions given here to be a bit pre-school and deeply shameless:

regardless of what nicole kidman may do as an actor (..i am tired of the actors that don't push their limits and are regulated to being jist talking faces and nothing more on screen..) and regardless of what inspires johanthan glazer (...i am tired of directors giving nothing but name to their projects and nothing more than just name....) every moment of every day in the 'real' world children are compelled to grow beyond being 'children' as in war torn nations like iraq or any other country that can be considered third world:

therefore this wrath of morality becomes tedious to read about when a film like birth attempts to ask serious questions and probe serious terrain that doesn't require 'nice things' to happen to the 'nice characters' for that 'nice ending' to make the whole experience feel.. 'nice':

movies from pixar and disney are there for that type of 'family entertainment value' where one can turn off their brains for an hour and forty-five minutes and be entertained by contrieved plot and transparent characters and leave the theatre feeling nothing more than 'entertained':

however the nature of film should be to challenge and to ask the questions that need to be asked that need to be considered that need to be said particularly in this obvious age where detachment and bashings seem to be the equivalent of the salem witchhunt or the crusades where children -- yes: children.. -- men and women were condemned by detached standards of morality to the levels where torture and death became the ace of spades for the many million who perished then...

i am amazed how in this obvious age of immediate and rapid information that exists that minds are lazy and apathetic towards researching on their own about a film such as birth - suffice to say: when birth arrives on dvd i will be purchasing a copy for myself.

Gary Womac

November 7, 2004

Something different

Birth is a Nicole Kidman movie and as such we have come to expect the unusual,the procative,the intelligent kind of movie that we remember when we think of Garbo films.Kidman is so overwhelming that everything else appears distant.

This movie explores the meaning of grief.And for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, Anna 's(Nicole Kidman) behaviour is believable.Her grief over the death of her husband is still,after ten years,so intense that when a ten year old boy named Sean shows up at her door and claims to be her dead husband she slowly comes to accept it.In the final scene when she explains to her boyfriend what has been going on she can only say that it was beyond her control to do otherwise.

To analyse this movie from a logical point of view would be a mistake.This movie explores the realm of emotions and the intangible.Only a great actor like Kidman kept this movie from bordering on the ridiculous.

Mary Libby Talevi

{1 vote}

October 31, 2004

See before you judge

Okay...everyone seems to have already got on their high horse about pedophilia and the like, and although I find that one of the most disgusting crimes to ever partake in or encourage (and frankly think pedophiles - and rapists - should have their balls chopped off: no more testosterone, no more hanky panky), maybe we should actually see the film before coming to any conclusions. The fact that it has sparked so much controversy is bound to make it even more popular, and the thing that I think is interesting about it is the way it handles grief as well as the notion of reincarnation.

Now, I really doubt that there are any sex scenes in the film and although Kidman may start showing reciprocation of the boy's feelings, the most intriguing thing would have to be why he thinks he is her dead husband and what on earth his parents are doing to try and help him.

I'm looking forward to seeing the film to make up my own mind about it, although I have a feeling the general atmosphere of the movie will be a bit like Godsend (which was okay but not that great) I'm still wanting to watch it.

Ellen Reid

{2 votes}

October 20, 2004

Disgusted by Birth

Just checking out your info and that of other sites and though I've never responded online I just had to today. - I have been thoroughly disgusted just reading about the storyline of Nicole Kidman's new movie "Birth". As a counselor that has worked with pedophile victims, I was shocked that Kidman could find any way to justify this performance. I'm really disappointed. There is no story line that could explain or justify these scenes. You can count on a large pedophile audience just waiting with excitement to see this movie and to put their names on the DVD waiting lists.

What next? Hollywood will likely justify any unappetizing and harmful subject, as long as they can say it was neatly woven and shown hidden in the context of some storyline. Ask any pedophile to be honest and they would tell you what this kind of movie does for them.

Has someone asked Nicole, "Would she allow her children to perform in such a scene for a movie or storyline"?? This isn't much different from the kiddie porn movies already out there - just a bigger budget and higher ticket actors, shown in a mainline theater and likely to be defended by the rest of Hollywood as 'art'.

I've watched my last Kidman or Lauren Bacall flick and although it will be hard to do, I'll be boycotting New/Fine Line Cinema as well.

Sheree Beresford

{10 votes}

June 14, 2004

PREVIEW

The playful television commercial & video director (Radiohead's lyrical "Street Spirit," and Jamiroquai's playful "Virtual Insanity) Jonathon Glazer has set-up an interesting project that sort of reminds of the recent Robert DeNiro starrer Godsend. Back in 2001, one of the best performances was found in Ben Kingsley's bit as a pissed off chap who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. The U.K film was called "Sexy Beast". For this sophomore project Glazer probably caught a certain actresses' performance in "The Others". A bit of drama and heavy in mystery, in a nutshell, Nicole Kidman plays a young widow who is finally getting on with her life, except one love-smitten boy takes to her and disrupts her peace of mind.

1st Impressions:

Originally titled "Before Birth", this has a strong supporting cast of players (Danny Huston has a great rugged-looking face). It also sports the best creepy-looking, "Children of the Corn" faced kid in the business today, one-hundred times better than Haley Joel. The story was written by the veteran writer of "The Tin Drum" and "Belle de Jour" Jean Claude Carrierre and the person responsible for the crappy Halle Berry flick "Monster's Ball". On the plus side, Harris Savides who shot some lucid pictures in "Elephant" is the cinematographer of the picture.

Weather Report:

It's a little early in the game, I haven't seen any trailers, but Sexy Beast and his other creative work stick out enough for me to look forward to what this director might have in store. He recently won one of the top prizes at Cannes festival for television commercials featuring Sam L. Jackson. Nicole is impeccable in the right role. The premise sounds like a risky one, but I'd put this on the top of my Halloween tales to see in October. I'll be checking it out opening day.

Eric L

{7 votes}

May 17, 2004

What a waste

I just finished watching Birth and it was a waste of my time. It started off as a good premise, but the ending was to abrupt. Micheal Glazer should have had some sense in altering the scenes in Central Park. I found it totally rediculous that the fences along the pathways in Central Park looked exactly the same after a 10 year jump in the movie. It's the little things that the filmakers fail to notice that ruins the film.

Bryan Murray

August 27, 2005

Arrrghhhh.....who thought up this movie?

Okay....this movie has its good acting, it has Nicole Kidman, and it has her 10 year old dead husband reincarnation. Sounds great doesn't it? Hardly.....I realy don't know about this movie. If you get depressed easily, I do not reccomend this movie. Too many grey and black scenes....

Sometimes heart warming, other times just downright freaky.....but the truth is, if you want something different and don't easily get disturbed or depressed, and have plenty of time to think about the meaning of this movie and the meaning of life, then be my guest and see this movie. If not, please refrain.

Sacha Sukhdeo

{1 vote}

November 24, 2004

Grief and Birth

This movie is about a still grieving woman (Nicole Kidman) for her late husband , even though she is about to be married again. The fiance tries his best to put up with her obsession from a little boy who claims to be her dead husband reincarnated. I found this a bit disturbing , especially the bathtub scene with Nicole Kidman and the little ten year old boy. What lengths her grief have taken her to! This is quite a story and I think there might be a sequel.

Nelly Hum

November 14, 2004

Why Nicole?

I thought that she couldn't pick a darker movie to be in than Dogville and I was very, very, wrong.

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. Birth is slow mess that doesn't deliver. It's shot so slowly that I felt myself nodding aspleep. The acting was great but the story was just twisted and lame. The ending was such a letdown that I didn't even mind that the AMC messed up the premiere. Awful time.

Juana Cabezas

November 2, 2004

Birth was made worse by the gutless AMC

The AMC cineplex just sucks--from the layout to the management it's a complete and incompetent disaster.

Why am I mentioning this here? Because the AMC is the complex that hosted the advance screening for "Birth". I won't go over how twisted this movie is because that's just obvious but I figured that maybe it was twisted and bad in an Oscar-worthy way that might make the projection digestable. I was wrong.

Take whatever hopes you might have had for this movie and throw them out the window. It's slow, tedious and pretentious. Jonathan Glazer might have talent but he traded it in so that he could try to be a watered down Stanley Kubrick with the long, slow shots and enless close-ups.There is talent in this movie and there is a meaning to it but what that was is anyone's guess.

Stop reading now if don't want this movie ruined for you.

Ok, you've been warned, it's on you now.

So I patiently sit through this movie with glazed eyes until we get to the scene where a naked Nicole Kidman is in the bathtub as her maybe-once-late-husband-but-now-10 year old boy starts to get undressed to join her in the tub.

That's when the lights when on and the film cuts.

I'm not kidding. The screen starts showing trivia questions instead.

The room loses it because as bad as this movie was we'd commited to watching it to the bitter end. The AMC manager has the balls to send one of his lackeys to tell us that there was a "technical problem" in the projection room. Yeah, right. Like any of us were stupid enough to believe that load of bull.

The AMC management got chikenshit when they realized what this movie was about and cut the film. Was it really that hard to read the presspacks or screen the reels before the premiere? This was just incompetent and stupid.

5 minutes later when the movie resumed we're several frames into the scene. How much was missing I don't know but something was clearly jumped because he's >in< the tub now.

Bad movie premiere.

Vladimir Joseph

{2 votes}

October 29, 2004

Whoever that wrote about birth

hi,

to you the host of this website...i think it's wrong how you said Nicole Kidman tries to shoot for an Oscar...That is wrong, i believe she is a natural good actress and gets to play good roles. Luckily, she has been one of the best actress's lately...I don't think she wants an Oscar, i just know she deserves an Oscar because she one of the best actress's in USA. And you know what, i can't wait to see "Birth." Soon enough, watch her get another Oscar's best actress award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maria Gomez

{2 votes}

October 21, 2004

just creepy

This movie sounds just creepy. I thought someone was joking when they mentioned the plot to this movie. They weren't joking. I really have a hard time seeing myself watching this. I'm curious but only in a highway accident sort of way. It's a bit much to swallow. A kid persuing a full grown woman because he believes that he used to be her husband? Sorry, a bit too much for me.

Daryl Campbell

{5 votes}

October 16, 2004

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