The Birthday (2004/I)

Director:

Eugenio Mira

Writers:

Mikel Alvariño (writer)
Eugenio Mira (writer)

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The four of us ....Let's do it.

Plot:

Norman, a young man very much in love with his girlfriend, attends her father's birthday party, held in a hotel where a sect happens to be preparing for the birth of the god it worships. |

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Corey Feldman	...	Norman Forrester
Erica Prior	...	Alison Fulton
Jack Taylor	...	Ron Fulton
Dale Douma	...	Vincent Papahistros
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mikel Alvariño	...	Bass Player
Jim Arnold	...	Jonathan Beresford
Harry Arouh	...	Priest
Ana Lucía Billate	...	Anjelica Fulton
Tony Corvillo	...	Vincent's Friend
James DePaul	...	Tiny Ricky
Richard Felix	...	Theodore Burns
Sue Flack	...	Marion Beresford
Alison Hughes	...	Mrs. Emma Hamilton
Chen Min Rao Jang	...	Dr. John Ming O'Pie
Liz Lobato	...	Madeleine
Robert Long	...	Manager
Rolf Master	...	Bar Tender
Stuart McLauchlan	...	Suite Waiter
Rick Merrill	...	Casper Fulton
Inma Mira	...	Yulia
Colin Morgan	...	Killer Waiter
Carlos Navarro	...	Guitar Player
Bert Palmer	...	Nigel
Oliver Sala	...	Keyboards
Craig Stevenson	...	Waiter Z
Alejandro Tejerías	...	Elmer Brannigan

Runtime:

100 min | 95 min (original cut)

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Terrasa, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Arcadia Motion Pictures

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Los Totenwackers (2007)

Simply awesome film

This is one of my new favorites. This is my first review of a movie at IMDb, which I am compelled to write after seeing The Birthday at the first annual Fantastic Fest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. It was the U.S. debut of the film and the director was even in attendance, but the theater wasn't even particularly packed. It makes me sad that this amazing film may never get even a proper art house run in the United States.

This film is quirky, campy, unique, super-fun, with a hypnotic and seriously creepy atmosphere. If you're used to traditional Hollywood fare, you might find it a bit puzzling, but give it a shot anyway. I've seen tons of genre films, and The Birthday is one of the most UTTERLY UNIQUE and refreshingly inventive films I have ever seen. It's unpredictable and keeps you guessing, the casting is inspired (the believability Corey Feldman brings to his peculiar but lovable character amazed me), and it uses the perfect mix of horror and comedy. This is a crowd pleaser, and some of the most fun I've had in years. I don't know how many times the audience broke into wild applause, and I nearly went deaf when the entire theater went nuts for the ending.

I should say that I saw the edited version of this film. It's intended to be a real-time 117 minutes, but they cut out 20 minutes of less intensive material, which made me feel a little cheated. I guess there's always the DVD. In sum, this is one hell of a fun movie, and I would highly recommend giving it a chance.