Cast: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, Alison Elliot, Arliss Howard, Anne Heche, Peter Stormare
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Producers: Lizie Gower, Nick Morris, Jean-Louis Piel, Wang Wei
Screenplay: Milo Addica, Jean-Claude Carrière, Jonathan Glazer
Cinematography: Harris Savides
Music: Alexandre Desplat
U.S. Distributor: Fine Line Features
Some will call Birth "a fascinating look into the metaphysical and how it relates to our notions of love." High ideals, to be sure, and if you gaze long enough into the movie's murky depths, you might begin to see undeveloped kernels to match those sentiments. As far as I'm concerned, however, there's a more straightforward phrase that can be used to describe Jonathan Glazer's film: pretentious crap.
The storyline isn't all that complicated, and it sounds interesting enough, but the devil's in the details. Anna (Nicole Kidman) is deeply in love with her husband, Sean, so his unexpected death throws her life into turmoil. Her recovery from grief is prolonged, but eventually she is able to get on with it. Ten years later, just as she is announcing her engagement to Joseph (Danny Huston), the man who has stood by her through all the dark years, a 10-year old boy (Cameron Bright) walks into her apartment as asks to speak with her in private. Her curiosity aroused, Anna decides to humor him. The boy informs her that he is Sean reincarnated, and he drops a few tidbits intended to legitimatize his claim. Anna doesn't believe him, nor does her mother, Eleanor (Lauren Bacall). Both of them think the situation is absurd. But Sean is persistent, and he continues to reveal things that indicate he's not just a stranger who has walked in off the street. And, the more time she spends around the boy, the more convinced Anna becomes that this could really be the love of her life, returned from the dead.
I hate movies in which characters do and say things that bear little resemblance to how real people act, and that's precisely what happens in Birth. (Incidentally, I expect this sort of thing from a horror movie, but not from a supposedly serious drama.) There's not a person in this film, from the two leads to the half-dozen supporting characters, whose actions in any way echo the behavior or speech of anyone sitting in the audience. This is a drama, not a comedy or a science fiction film, and its inability to reflect reality is one of a number of glaring problems.
One goal of nearly every character is to prove that Sean is an imposter. I can't blame them for that - in their position, I would probably do the same thing. But the way in which they go about it is idiotic. They ask Sean a bunch of questions that wouldn't convince anyone of anything, regardless of how he answers. What should have been explored is blatantly obvious. If you want to know whether the spirit of a dead man is inhabiting the body of a 10-year old boy, ask him some very graphic questions about his sex life with Anna. Not even the most creative kid is going to be able to make up the right answers in this situation; if he can reveal the most intimate details of his past relationship, then there should be little room for doubt about who he is.
Tone is another issue. Glazer (who previously helmed the mordantly funny Sexy Beast) treats this movie as if it is The Most Important Motion Picture Ever To Be Made. Birth takes itself so seriously that it quickly becomes ponderous and irritating. There's no comic relief whatsoever; such a thing would be unthinkable in a movie with such important views. Unfortunately, the issues that Birth addresses are presented in easily digestible chunks. Metaphysics, reincarnation, and the nature of love are all in the screenplay, but the way in which they are explored is insulting because there is so little substance or depth to the presentation.
The screenplay is horribly written. Not only are the characters developed in a manner that is largely inconsistent with real-world human beings, but the dialogue is stilted. Didn't the writers bother to read it out loud to hear what it would sound like? I pity the respectable cast, all of whom are forced to recite these lines. Nicole Kidman has one incredible three-minute closeup in which the camera stays on her face, and we see the emotions flickering across those features. It's a marvelous moment, and a great example of non-verbal acting. Unfortunately, the next time she returns to the dialogue, the effect is ruined.
Aside from Kidman's wonderful close-up, the only consistently decent performance comes from Cameron Bright, who is developing a nice reputation for playing bizarre kids. This is the third time he has essayed a twisted role. His short resume lists The Butterfly Effect and Godsend. In the former, he was the 7-year old with a sadistic streak. In the latter, he was the homicidal clone. Now, he's someone who may or may not be a re-born spirit. Bright has the right approach to the role - he plays it with a lot of intensity and a little hostility. Meanwhile, Lauren Bacall manages to have a couple of tart moments, but her portrayal as a whole is forgettable.
The ending is, unfortunately, a cop-out. I for one felt cheated by the resolution, which is more contrived than an audience has a right to expect. I think part of the problem is that Birth wants us to view Sean's situation as a mystery. Is he or is he not the dead husband reincarnated? By using this approach, the script guarantees disappointment. Instead, Glazer and his screenwriters should have picked a point-of-view and used the movie to re-enforce that perspective. By trying to turn Birth into a thriller, the filmmakers undermine its intriguing issues.
A "tempest in a teapot" has developed around this movie, because there's a scene in which Anna and Sean, both naked, share a bathtub. There's nothing salacious about the scene, and there's no reason that this should become an issue. It's not promoting pedophilia, and one could argue that it's necessary to the story. Besides, with so many other reasons to avoid the ponderous Birth, trumping up one based on this relatively mild scene makes no sense whatsoever. Stay away from Birth not because of what goes on (or doesn't) in a bathtub, but because this is not a very good movie.
© 2004 James Berardinelli