The Popkorn Junkie

      Did you ever wonder if there was life after death? Has reincarnation ever seemed like something that had the potential to be a modern truth? Well, if you answered yes to either of these questions..."Birth" is not the film for you. Though the trailer would have you believe that this is a taut and well balanced psychological thriller, the truth is that this film is anything but taut and anything but a thriller...it is more like a lop-sided love story with a terrible ending. This is disappointing because I had high hopes for this film...the reviews have been decent enough to spark my interest and the premise was wholly satisfying, on the surface. Alas, you cannot judge a book by its cover, nor I suppose a film by its trailer.

       Nicole Kidman (in one of her better performances of recent memory) stars as Anna, a woman who continues to mourn the loss of her beloved husband Sean, even ten years after his death by heart attack. Anna lives with her domineering mother Eleanor (Lauren Bacall), her sister and brother-in-law (Alison Elliot & Arliss Howard), and her freshly crowned fiancé Joseph (Danny Huston). Anna seems to love Joseph, and it is obvious that he really loves her. However, one day, a ten-year-old boy (Cameron Bright) mysteriously enters Anna's home claiming to be her departed husband Sean. At first, everyone holds nothing but disbelief and contempt for the child. However, Sean eventually starts revealing secrets that no one could possibly know, leading Anna to believe that the ten-year-old might really be her reincarnated husband Sean. This tension -- is he or isn't he -- grinds throughout the film, until the ending. My God, the ending. What in the hell happened here? It was like director Jonathan Glazer just ran out of steam and threw something together at the last possible minute.

      As mentioned previously, the premise here is genius. Just the idea of having a loved one reincarnated, especially as a small child, raises all kinds of interesting and controversial questions, some of which are handled nicely by the film. For example, Anna is naked in the tub when Sean walks in, undresses in front of the camera, and then slides into the water with her. When she asks him what he is doing, he says, "Looking at my wife". Then, as the both of them stand out in the street, they share a brief kiss that probably has religious groups and censors climbing the walls with scorn. But, these scenes are handled delicately...Glazer knows that he is dealing with an older woman, in Kidman, and a small child, in Bright. In many ways, this seems like a complete David Cronenberg picture...it is dripping with the kind of controversy he loves. However, I believe Cronenberg would have managed to find a way to make the film succeed...maybe he would have just changed the ending...that would have seriously helped.

      As for the performances, they are varied. Most of the attention is being paid to Lauren Bacall as Kidman's mother. She is barely in the film and has no scenes of any real impact or importance -- I think critics are just over-praising her because of who she is and because of how rarely she graces a film with her presence. For me, the real standout was Danny Huston, whom I absolutely murdered in my review of the disastrous "Silver City". Here, his intensity and his emotion is phenomenal, and I think this shows how my first impressions are not always correct. He made this film for me. Nicole Kidman is also watchable in another odd career move for her...this does not seem like a Nicole Kidman type of role, and it is almost as bizarre a choice as "Birthday Girl". And, I would be remiss if I did not mention Cameron Bright, who is quickly becoming a major child actor, sliding right up there with Dakota Fanning. He is not as creepy as he was in "Godsend", but his performance is very fine indeed.

      Now, the ending. Woof. It's like Glazer just builds the tension and mystery to the boiling point and then just shuts the eye off. At the end of the film, everything is virtually the same as it was at the beginning of the film, except that the adults must live with the fact that they were make cuckolds by a ten-year-old boy. The final scene on the beach is as confusing as it is unnecessary...are we suppose to believe that Kidman still has feelings for this boy, knowing that he is not her husband? If so, then maybe the controversy surrounding this film is warranted. It was one thing to see them in a tub together, and another to see them share a tiny kiss -- but a long term emotional commitment is something entirely different.

       So, "Birth" did not meet my expectations and falls short of something miraculous. Glazer's phenomenal "Sexy Beast" from a couple years back is hands down the better picture, though Danny Huston should garner a little Academy buzz for this fine performance -- he proved me wrong and I thank him for it. As for any other awards, I would skip this one...the screenplay is really non-existent at times, the direction is uneven and choppy at best, and the music is overpowering and overbearing to the point that we sometimes want to cover our ears. "Birth" is not a terrible picture...it just should have been born with a better ending.

-- Billy Ray ( 1 1/2 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Mike ( 4 out of 4 pops )

Ok, I know this will sound bizarre and my view on this film will be in the minority, but Birth is one of the best movies I saw all year during 2004. I knew from the opening, amazing extended shot that I was going to love this film. And the rest of the movie did not disappoint. It is a mesmerizing film that forces you to keep your eyes glued to the screen. I couldn't wait to find out what was coming and was intrigued trying to watch for and figure out the clues to the story. Nicole Kidman is nothing but perfect playing this role of a mother haunted by the death of her beloved husband. And the kid actor puts in one of the best performances of all time for a young kid. I would say that this is even a film that you must see twice to really appreciate it.