Birth (2004)

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière (written by) &
Milo Addica (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 November 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Be careful what you wish for.

Plot:

A woman becomes convinced that a ten year old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband.

Plot Keywords:

Reincarnation | Widow | Death | Supernatural Power | Pedophilia

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Nicole Kidman	...	Anna
Cameron Bright	...	Young Sean
Danny Huston	...	Joseph
Lauren Bacall	...	Eleanor
Alison Elliott	...	Laura
Arliss Howard	...	Bob
Michael Desautels	...	Sean
Anne Heche	...	Clara
Peter Stormare	...	Clifford
Ted Levine	...	Mr. Conte
Cara Seymour	...	Mrs. Conte
Joe M. Chalmers	...	Sinclair
Novella Nelson	...	Lee
Zoe Caldwell	...	Mrs. Hill
Charles Goff	...	Mr. Drummond
Sheila Smith	...	Mrs. Drummond
Milo Addica	...	Jimmy
Mary Catherine Wright	...	Young Woman
Scott Johnsen	...	Caterer
Elizabeth Greenberg	...	Teacher
Tessa Auberjonois	...	Woman in Lobby
Michael Joseph Cortese Jr.	...	Patrick / Mini Bike Driver
John Robert Tramutola	...	Stevie
Jordan Lage	...	Peter
Margot Jewers	...	Real Estate Agent
Matthew Giffuni	...	Runner
Ian Hoffberg	...	Runner
Laura Fallon	...	Runner
John Juback	...	Man in Lobby
Kavita R. Mangroo	...	Woman at Counter
Alexandra Salo	...	Woman at Party (as Alexandra K. Salo)
Hollis McConnell Jones	...	Bridesmaid / Woman at Party #2 (as Hollis Jones)
Libby Skala	...	Bridesmaid
Bruce Bennetis	...	Wedding Photographer
Gregory Smith	...	Photographer
T. Ryder Smith	...	Waiter
Ed Bogdanowicz	...	Cop #1
Jerry Fuentes	...	Cop #2
Gregory Dann	...	Secretary
Lisa Barnes	...	Clara's Neighbor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carl Burrows	...	Businessman (uncredited)
David Copeland	...	Usher (uncredited)
Lian Moy	...	Student (uncredited)
Sean Oliver	...	Voice of Sean (uncredited)
Rumaisa Rahman	...	Member of Engagement Party (uncredited)
Yvonne Sayers	...	Opera Socialite (uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Glazer

Writing credits
Jean-Claude Carrière		(written by) &
Milo Addica		(written by) &
Jonathan Glazer		(written by)

Produced by
Lizie Gower	....	producer
Xavier Marchand	....	executive producer
Nick Morris	....	producer
Kate Myers	....	associate producer
Mark Ordesky	....	executive producer
Kerry Orent	....	executive producer
Jean-Louis Piel	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Harris Savides

Film Editing by
Sam Sneade
Claus Wehlisch

Casting by
Avy Kaufman

Production Design by
Kevin Thompson

Art Direction by
Jonathan Arkin

Set Decoration by
Ford Wheeler

Costume Design by
John A. Dunn		(as John Dunn)

Makeup Department
Chris Bingham	....	key makeup artist
Roy Bryson	....	key hair stylist
Lynn Campbell	....	makeup artist: Ms. Bacall
Marjorie Durand	....	makeup artist (as Margie Durand)
Robert McCann	....	makeup artist: Ms. Kidman
James Sarzotti	....	makeup department head
Kerrie Smith	....	hair stylist department head
Kerry Warn	....	hair stylist: Ms. Kidman
Anna Krommydas	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Jack Deutchman	....	post-production supervisor
Alyson Evans	....	production supervisor
Christopher Goode	....	unit production manager
Erik Holmberg	....	executive in charge of production
Jody Levin	....	executive in charge of post-production
Michael Solinger	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert C. Albertell	....	first assistant director: additional photography (as Robert Albertell)
Timothy Donohue	....	second assistant director (as Timothy S. Donohue)
Todd Pfeiffer	....	first assistant director (as Todd R. Pfeiffer)
Matthew Sirianni	....	second second assistant director (as Matt Sirianni)
Peter Soldo	....	second assistant director: additional photography
Adam T. Weisinger	....	additional second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Stephen A. Baker	....	construction grip
Anthony Baldasare	....	on-set dresser
Johney Batista	....	construction shop production assistant (as Johnny Batista)
Robert Blair	....	construction electric
Teresa Carriker-Thayer	....	assistant art director
Frances Catalano	....	construction grip (as Francis L. Catalano)
Eric Cheripka	....	assistant props
Thomas Costabile	....	construction coordinator
Robert de Mar	....	set dresser (as Robert De Mar)
Erika Spring Foster	....	set decorator production assistant
Charles H. Furey	....	carpenter (as Charles Furey)
William Gastelum	....	art department production assistant
Peter Gelfman	....	property master
Tim Grimes	....	assistant property master (as Timothy M. Grimes)
Michael Herlihy	....	general foreman
James V. Kent	....	assistant props (as Jim Kent)
Hinju Kim	....	assistant art director
Robin Koenig	....	on-set dresser
Bill Kolpin	....	set dresser (as William Kolpin)
Adrian Marler	....	storyboard artist
Monique Mitchell	....	construction grip foreman
Jack Mortallero Jr.	....	set dresser (as Jack Mortellaro Jr.)
Leann Murphy	....	art department coordinator (as Leanne Murphy)
Jennifer Alex Nickason	....	assistant decorator (as Jenny Alex Nickason)
John Nyomarkay	....	assistant art director
Malcolm Reid	....	carpenter
Scott Rosenstock	....	leadman
Rob Schmitt	....	key construction grip (as Robert W. Schmitt)
Bryan Tonkin	....	construction grip
Robert Topol	....	chief scenic artist (as Robert Topoli)
Peter von Bartheld	....	set dresser (as Peter J. Von Bartheld)
Stephen Caldwell	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Flo Frintzilas	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Daniel Geary	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Adam Jones	....	scenic shopman (uncredited)
Diane Rich	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
M. Tony Trotta	....	camera scenic artist (uncredited)
Gary Wattson	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Michael Barosky	....	sound mixer
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr mixer: US
David Boulton	....	adr mixer: US
James Boyle	....	sound effects editor
Steve Browell	....	assistant sound editor
Peter Burgis	....	foley walker
Johnnie Burn	....	additional sound designer
Julio Carmona	....	adr recordist: US
Krissopher Chevannes	....	adr recordist: US
Ed Colyer	....	foley recordist (as Edward Colyer)
Paul Conway	....	dialogue editor
Tony Currie	....	adr editor
Andie Derrick	....	foley walker (as Andi Derrick)
Thomas Gould	....	playback operator
Frank Graziadei	....	second boom operator (as Frank J. Graziadei)
Paul Hamblin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roland Heap	....	assistant sound engineer
Stefan Henrix	....	dialogue editor
Stuart Hilliker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kenton Jakub	....	adr supervisor: US
Richard Lancaster	....	assistant sound engineer
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr supervisor: US
Francis Ward Lindsay	....	foley editor
James Mather	....	supervising sound editor
Daniel Rosenblum	....	boom operator
Richard Welsh	....	consultant: Dolby (as Rich J. Welch)
Zane Hayward	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Martin Jensen	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Daniel McIntosh	....	sound effects recordist: location (uncredited)
Joakim Sundström	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Ottesen	....	special effects (as John M. Ottesen)
Ron Ottesen	....	special effects (as Ronald Ottesen)

Visual Effects by
Tom Debenham	....	visual effects supervisor
Dominic Sidoli	....	visual effects producer: Double Negative
Paul Alexiou	....	editorial assistant: Double Negative (uncredited)
Lee Clappison	....	online film editor (uncredited)
William Foxwell	....	digital lab operator: Lip Sync Post (uncredited)
Andy Hague	....	visual effects editorial (uncredited)
Pete Hanson	....	studio manager: Double Negative (uncredited)
Katja Hollmann	....	digital lab supervisor: Lipsync Post (uncredited)
Pedro Lara	....	digital artist: Double Negative (uncredited)
Katy Lemon	....	digital lab operator: Lip Sync Post (uncredited)
Steve Lynn	....	technical support (uncredited)
Sona Pak	....	visual effects editorial: Double Negative (uncredited)
Kevin Phelan	....	head of post production: Lip Sync Post (uncredited)
Paul Riddle	....	digital compositor: Double Negative (uncredited)
William Skellorn	....	visual effects editorial: Double Negative (uncredited)
Jim Steel	....	digital compositor: Double Negative (uncredited)
Jelena Stojanovic	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Victor Wade	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Dylan Bucossi	....	stunts
Paul Bucossi	....	stunts
Peter Bucossi	....	stunt coordinator
David Copeland	....	stunt usher
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Don Hewitt	....	stunts
John Roney	....	stunt usher

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Bridges	....	still photographer (as James Bridges)
Garrett Brown	....	Steadicam operator: title sequence
Michael Cambria	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Caesar Carnevale	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera, additional photography
Peter Colavito	....	electrician
Stephen Consentino	....	Steadicam operator
Christopher DeBlau	....	electrician (as Christopher De Blau)
John W. DeBlau	....	gaffer (as John Deblau)
James P. Dolan	....	gaffer: additional photography
Stanley Fernandez Jr.	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera, additional photography (as Stanley Fernandez)
Richard Gioia	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera, additional photography (as Rick Gioia)
Thomas Gould	....	video assist
Craig Haagensen	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Pedro Hernández	....	best boy grip (as Pedro Hernandez)
John Krause	....	grip
Bruce MacCallum	....	camera operator: "b" camera, additional photography
Rick Marroquin	....	dolly grip (as Luis R. Marroquin)
Gary Martone	....	key grip
Charles Meere III	....	rigging gaffer
Tally Morse	....	grip (as Talley Morse)
Sean O'Brien	....	grip
Christopher Patak	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera, additional photography (as Chris Patak)
Tom Percarpio	....	best boy (as Thomas W. Percarpio)
Charles Quinlivan	....	rigging grip
Igor Srubshchik	....	video playback operator
Eric Swanek	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Rebecca Venezia	....	camera loader
Mike Ansbach	....	camera operator: video segments (uncredited)
Cira Felina Bolla	....	second unit: cinematographer (uncredited)
Glenn Fishel	....	grip (uncredited)
Gregory F. Johnson	....	grip (uncredited)
Sal Martorano	....	electrician (uncredited)
Eric Swanek	....	Steadicam assistant (uncredited)
J. Dan Wright	....	light balloon technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Cody P. Beke	....	casting assistant
Kristine Bulakowski	....	additional casting
Jessica Daniels	....	casting assistant
Elizabeth Greenberg	....	casting associate
David Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Ellen Novack	....	casting associate (as Ellen Novak)
Driss Tijani	....	extras casting assistant
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)
Elizabeth Lang	....	additional casting scout (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanna Brett	....	costume supervisor
Garett Edde	....	costume production assistant
Sharon Globerson	....	assistant costume designer
Dianne Hylton	....	set costumer
Fionnuala M. Lynch	....	key set costumer (as Fionnuala Lynch)
Chris Ann Pappas	....	assistant costume designer
Kevin Ritter	....	costume supervisor (as Kevin M. Ritter)
Lisa Varley	....	costume production assistant
Susan Bakula	....	costume tailor (uncredited)
Stephanie Biear	....	seamstress (uncredited)
Catherine George	....	additional costume assistant (uncredited)
Rhonney Greene	....	costume production assistant (uncredited)
John Kouromihelakis	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)
Debbie Lucas	....	seamstress (uncredited)
Jessica T. Sinoway	....	assistant costume designer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jake Birner	....	post-production assistant
Alex Fenn	....	assistant editor
Emanuele Giraldo	....	assistant editor
Tom Harrison-Read	....	assistant editor
Tom Harrison-Read	....	film assistant
Megan Murning	....	first assistant editor
David Rees	....	color timer
Alexander Soskin	....	first assistant editor
Samantha Welland	....	post-production coordinator
Jim Passon	....	final color timer (uncredited)
Joakim Pietras	....	additional editor (uncredited)
Rob Woiwod	....	conforming editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Christopher Briquet	....	assistant to composer
Paul Broucek	....	executive in charge of music
Peter Cobbin	....	score recordist
Alexandre Desplat	....	conductor
Alexandre Desplat	....	orchestrator
Jessica Dolinger	....	music clearances
Jo Feakes	....	music clearances
Vic Fraser	....	music preparation
Tom Kenyatta	....	music programmer
Sue Mallet	....	music contractor
Gerard McCann	....	music editor
Gordan Nikolitch	....	concertmaster (as Gordan Nikolic)
Peter Raeburn	....	music producer
Peter Raeburn	....	music supervisor
Erin Scully	....	music executive
Michael Tremante	....	music programmer

Transportation Department
Henry S. Avelin	....	driver
Kevin Harrigan	....	driver
Victor Meich Jr.	....	driver
Louis Volpe	....	transportation captain (as Louis 'Sonny' Volpe)
Ralph Volpe	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Joe Bam	....	photo double: Cameron Bright
Joe Bam	....	stand-in: Cameron Bright
Cassandra Barbour	....	rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances, Inc.
Michael Bederman	....	production accountant
Katherine E. Beyda	....	production executive
Ian Blume	....	dailies film apprentice
Dawn Bridgewater	....	set production assistant
Christopher Buddy	....	production office assistant
Laurie Cartwright	....	risk management
Joshua Chaplinsky	....	production secretary
Mike Charles	....	security
Eddy Collyns	....	location manager
Erin Crackel	....	dailies film apprentice
Matthew Danys	....	second assistant chef: Premiere Caterers
Jon Davidson	....	production controller
Catherine Domareki	....	studio teacher: Cameron Bright
Guy Efrat	....	location scout
Jeff Egan	....	production safety
Debora Fearon	....	second assistant accountant (as Debora B. Fearon)
Laura Fearon	....	accounting assistant
Aaron D. Forste	....	set production assistant (as Aaron David Forste)
Sarah Rae Garrett	....	set production assistant (as Sarah Garrett)
Dave Ginsberg	....	location office coordinator (as David Ginsberg)
Emily Glatter	....	supervising production coordinator
Julie Gold	....	photo double: Nicole Kidman
Julie Gold	....	stand-in: Nicole Kidman
Max Good	....	production assistant
Mike Grosky	....	assistant location manager (as Michael Grosky)
Edith Hagigi	....	assistant: Mr. Glazer
Timothy K. Hendrickson	....	chef: Premiere Caterers
Michael E. Hernandez	....	owner: Premiere Caterers (as Michael Hernandez)
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	dialect coach: Ms. Kidman
Judy Jenson	....	photo double: Cameron Bright
Judy Jenson	....	stand-in: Cameron Bright
Jacqui Kaese	....	acting coach: Cameron Bright
Kristan C. Keck	....	assistant: Mr. Orent
Danny Robert Keton	....	photo double: Danny Huston
Danny Robert Keton	....	stand-in: Danny Huston
Julie Kuehndorf	....	unit publicist
Jessica Lacy	....	set production assistant
Sharif Laurent	....	set production assistant
Jessica Lichtner	....	script supervisor
Clare Lord	....	location assistant
Stefanie Markman	....	production attorney
Ginny Martino	....	contract administrator
Andrew Matthews	....	executive in charge of film investment
Meredith Mills-Cavalluzzo	....	production coordinator (as Meredith Mills)
Damiem Miseo	....	assistant chef: Premiere Caterers
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach: Ms. Kidman
Kellie Morrison	....	assistant location manager
Jennifer Mount	....	risk management
Anne O'Brien	....	dailies film assistant
Michael O'Connor	....	set production assistant
Chris Patterson	....	dailies film assistant
Paul Prokop	....	executive in charge of finance
Joshua Ravetch	....	production resources
John Reeves	....	craft service
John Sargent	....	post-production accountant
Julianna Selfridge	....	risk management (as Juliana Selfridge)
Roxanne Senesman	....	first assistant accountant
Laura Sevier	....	rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances, Inc.
Lori Silfen	....	business affairs executive
Collin Smith	....	location assistant
José Tejada	....	parking coordinator (as Jose Tejada)
Gary Thomson	....	craft service
Noah Thomson	....	craft service
Mimi Turner	....	assistant location manager
Joe Violante	....	dailies supervisor
Andrew Vogliano	....	production associate
John F.X. Walsh	....	business affairs executive
Dena Zamore	....	production office assistant
Joanne Zorickowski	....	payroll
Gary Deane	....	preview technician (uncredited)
Andrew Fiero	....	production assistant (uncredited)
David Fischer	....	production assistant: re-shoots (uncredited)
Cliff Fuller	....	assistant production office coordinator: additional photography, New York (uncredited)
Matt Gavin	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Brian Goetz	....	additional production assistant (uncredited)
Tracy Gossett	....	assistant to actor (uncredited)
Berry Hatfield	....	additional production assistant (uncredited)
Christopher Johnston	....	location scout (uncredited)
Hollis McConnell Jones	....	photo double: Nicole Kidman (uncredited)
Matthew Mason	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Peter Pastorelli	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Wayne Petrucelli	....	security: Ms. Kidman, re-shoots (uncredited)
Evan T. Reilly	....	script coordinator (uncredited)
Vernon Rodriquez	....	assistant parking coordinator (uncredited)
Andrew Saxe	....	location scout (uncredited)
Eugene Stamos	....	additional craft service (uncredited)
Rachael Tartell	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Sylvain Tron	....	assistant: Lauren Bacall, re-shoots (uncredited)
Steven Wargo	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Rebecca White	....	travel coordinator (uncredited)
Elizabeth Zagrany	....	production accountant: re-shoots (uncredited)

Thanks
Tariq Anwar	....	thanks
Poppy de Villeneuve	....	thanks (as Poppy De Villeneuve)
Ella Glazer	....	thanks
Stanley Glazer	....	thanks
Jomps	....	thanks: R.I.P.
Laura Kaufman	....	thanks
Dan Landin	....	thanks
Ileen Maisel	....	thanks
Chris Penfold	....	thanks
Mary Penfold	....	thanks
Rachael Penfold	....	thanks
Joakim Pietras	....	thanks
James Wilson	....	thanks (as Jim Wilson)

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema (presents)
• Fine Line Features (in association with)
• Lou Yi Inc.
• Academy Productions (as Academy)
• March Entertainment (in association with) (copyright owners)

Distributors

• Distribution Company (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fine Line Features (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• TriPictures (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Net5 (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• New Line Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (2008) (Germany) (TV)

Special Effects

• Double Negative (visual effects)
• Lip Sync Post (scanning, recording and digital opticals)
• Cine Image Film Opticals (end titles) (uncredited)

Other Companies

• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  insurance provided by
• Abbey Road Studios  score recorded and mixed at
• American Humane Association, The  animals monitored by
• Boom  sound re-recorded at (as Boom Limited)
• Brioni  wardrobe: Danny Huston
• Caroline Herrera  wardrobe provided by
• Cast & Crew Entertainment Services  payroll (as Cast and Crew Entertainment Services)
• Corbis  footage provided by (as Corbis Motion)
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as Deluxe)
• Entertainment Clearances  rights and clearances
• Farrow Design  main and end titles designed by
• Fred Leighton  jewelry provided by
• Fujifilm  released on
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  Avid AudioVision systems supplied by (uncredited)
• Haberdasher Aske's Hatcham College  children's choir and orchestra (as Haberdasher Aske's Hatcham College, London)
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  score performed by
• Lyps Inc.  adr voice casting
• Mikimoto  unspecified
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)  personal thanks
• NY1 News  trademark owned by: NY1 and material courtesy of
• New Line Records  soundtrack published by (uncredited)
• Post Factory NY  post-production facilities (uncredited)
• Premier Caterers Ltd.  catering
• Shepperton Studios  foley recorded at
• Sound One  adr recorded at
• Technicolor  color by
• Technicolor  color timing
• Tiffany & Co.  jewelry provided by
• Todd-AO Hollywood  adr recorded at
• Wave Recording studios  personal thanks

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:7 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hong Kong:III (director's cut) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40949) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Brightwaters, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The type of cake served at Eleanor's birthday and which Sean has a left-over piece of is a Red Velvet Cake which is also known as a Waldorf Astoria Cake.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the second bath scene near the end of the movie, the amount of mud on Sean's face changes between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Voice of Sean: Ok, let me say this... If I lost my wife and, uh, the next day, a little bird landed on my windowsill, looked me right in the eye, and in plain English said, 'Sean, it's me, Anna. I'm back' What could I say? I guess I'd believe her. Or I'd want to. I'd be stuck with a bird. But other than that, no. I'm a man of science. I just don't believe that mumbo-jumbo. Now, that's gonna have to be the last question. I need to go running before I head home.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Work of Director Jonathan Glazer (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bridal March from 'Lohengrin'

Lovely character study

I can understand why people react so aversely to this film, but, in Birth's defence, it's quite a demanding a piece for it to suit everyone's tastes.

Granted, the plot is slightly unpalatable, and yes, there are instances when the film appears to veer into senslessness, but, unless you want a clear-cut resolution, this cannot quite be written off as shoddy work on the part of anyone involved. Most of the complaints made about Birth have come from people who cannot get past the plot elements of the film, namely, the flirtation with pedophilia. It is uncomfortable, quite so, but that precisely is the point... Moreover, it's worth noting that the characters themselves find it repelling, and that there is nary a sexual undercurrent between Sean and Anna.

I believe one could argue, very strongly, that this plot device is merely a catalyst to throw Anna's psyche into relief. In the end, whether the boy is Sean or not proves irrelevant; the film is less about a bizarre happening than about the extreme psychological test it brings about. It's intense analysis of love, grief, need and the leaps of faith...

Given this set-up, the execution is flawless. What the screenplay does, quite beautifully, is convey silent emotions; it understands, better than most films, that communication is often non-verbal, and in this situation, when the very thing at stake is reason, it is logical that the characters would be at a loss for words. If any given person were to be in Anna's situation...what would they do? How would you react if someone close to you were living through this?

Jonathan Glazer's direction is splendid, building up a somber, airless mood and coaxing superlative performances out of the entire cast. Kidman's performance is somewhat mannered, yet she completely, effortlessly inhabits a difficult role; it is a brave, piercing, bravura performance. She captures Anna's desperation and fragility, but also her privileged lifestyle and upbringing, and the mad undercurrents grief has brought about. The so-called opera scene will be, years from now, considered a seminal moment in her career. Bright is chillingly effective, registering an intensity that is somewhat unsettling, and the supporting turns--which, with limited material flesh out characters, build histories and express emotions that the screenplay only implies--are sterling, especially in the case of Bacall and Howard.

Technically, the film is a marvel. Two things are worth noting: Harris Savides' wonderful cinematography (there are at least three iconic sequences in the film), which creates a look and a mood that is at once foreboding and exquisitely beautiful, and Alexandre Desplat's splendid score, which underscores the drama without becoming obtrusive and blends symphonic melodies with a hi-lo undercurrent that creates an odd womb-like effect.

Lovely, heartbreaking, unforgettable.