Birth (2004)

A young boy attempts to convince a woman that he is her dead husband reborn.

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière, Milo Addica,

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Anna is a young widow who is finally getting on with her life after the death of her husband, Sean. Now engaged to be married, Anna meets a ten-year-old boy who tells her he is Sean reincarnated. Though his story is both unsettling and absurd, Anna can't get the boy out of her mind. And much to the concern of her fiancée, her increased contact with him leads her to question the choices she has made in her life.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | death | widow | reincarnation | dead husband | 

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Taglines:

A haunting thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Filmexport [France] New Line Cinema

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 2004 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Reencarnación

Filming Locations:

1136 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$520,842 (Brazil) (25 March 2005)

Gross:

$1,283,033 (Brazil) (15 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, Lou Yi Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

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

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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.

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Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Tonight You Belong to Me"
(1926)
Music by 'Lee David'
Lyrics by Billy Rose
Performed by Patience McIntyre (as Patience) and Prudence McIntyre (as Prudence)
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd

User Reviews

If you are the type that talks at movies, don't go to see this one.

(Disclaimer) If you like popcorn flicks, and are incapable of thinking during a movie, Birth is not for you, go see The Grudge instead. It may be more your speed.

Birth is a film for the thinker, the moviegoer that doesn't automatically shut down in the theater. This movie had me constantly trying to sort things out all the way through to the end.

I have read a few of the reviews on here and some of you might not be into the whole film-making process. Those that really study film and cinematography; will be treated to a 100 minutes of pure beauty in film-making. I loved how he transitioned between one shot and the next. The one scene that I found surprisingly effective is when he focused on Kidman's face for 3 minutes straight. He chose to use her silent acting abilities as a method to describe her consideration of this strange child. I am a lover of all forms of film, and I'm constantly on the lookout for the next film that gets my mind going. The last film to do that was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Before that, it was Vanilla sky. Both of these films have been less than favored by the mass public. Its strictly because they DO cause you to think beyond "when is the hero going to prevail"