In this
mesmerizing and suspenseful film,
a woman (Nicole Kidman) becomes
convinced that a ten-year-old
boy is the reincarnation of her
dead husband. Director: Jonathan
Glazer. Costars: Anne Heche,
Lauren Bacall.
Nicole Kidman teams
up with
director Jonathan Glazer (SEXY
BEAST) to deliver some sensitive
subject matter in BIRTH. Kidman
stars as Anna, a wealthy widower
preparing to remarry 10 years
after the sad, premature death
of her husband. She inhabits a
vast apartment in New York City,
which is owned by her protective
mother, Eleanor (Lauren Bacall),
who quickly gathers Anna under
her protective wing whenever
trouble comes calling. Anna's
fiancé Joseph (Danny Huston)
also resides in the austere
apartment, where a party is
thrown to celebrate the
impending wedlock of the happy
couple. An unwelcome visitor in
the shape of 10-year-old Sean
(Cameron Bright) crashes the
festivities, cornering Anna and
claiming to be her departed
husband. After a derisory
reaction from Anna, events take
a strange twist when Sean
continues to hound the widower,
revealing facts that only her
late husband could possibly know.
Emotions pour out of Anna, with
Kidman delivering an exemplary
performance as she manages to
simultaneously convey grief,
confusion, and the overwhelming
feeling of loss that Anna had
all but buried. Becoming ever
more convinced of Sean's
authenticity, Anna risks losing
everything as Joseph and Eleanor
attempt to debunk the veracity
of the 10-year-old's claims, but
fight a losing battle as Anna's
old feelings reawaken and
blossom into a palpable flourish
of love and desire. Director
Glazer packs a haunting visual
punch throughout BIRTH, drawing
on the stunning work of
cinematographer Harris Savides
to present a bleak, almost
monochromatic vision of New
York. The script from longtime
Buñuel collaborator Jean-Claude
Carrière and cowriter Milo
Addica handles what could have
been a controversial topic with
taste and dignity, but the movie
really belongs to Kidman, who
once again proves her acting
chops with a stimulating
performance. |