I've read all the reviews of First Born on here and some other reviewers share my opinion that this is a good film, which builds intensity leaving you wanting to know what happens in the end.
However, the more I try and analyse the film (which isn't always a good thing)the more confused I become.
It's well made, acted and scripted. Elisabeth Shue plays the role of the anxiety filled new mother well, as an actress of her calibre should. Some reviewers perception of the film is that Shue is a new mother struggling with PPD whilst others seem to see it as a haunting/possession type scenario.
For me, I perceived this film to be portraying the struggles of a new mother - the anxieties progressing to psychosis. Having suffered from post natal depression myself after a c-section, I instantly felt a connection to Shue's character, however I never descended into psychosis, thankfully.
But throw in the whole "curse" angle to the mix, along with the character of Jenny who is referred to as having previously lived in the house, then that's when things got a bit confusing for me. When the nanny attached the bundle under the baby's crib, I thought that was to protect the baby. But then when Laura comes back from the black-tie dinner and asks why she didn't answer the phone, the nanny said she hadn't heard it ringing - although the phone could clearly be heard ringing in the background, whilst the nanny was attaching the bundle under the crib.
That said, I still enjoyed the film and couldn't wait to see how it ended. Supernatural thriller or psychological thriller? You decide.
However, the more I try and analyse the film (which isn't always a good thing)the more confused I become.
It's well made, acted and scripted. Elisabeth Shue plays the role of the anxiety filled new mother well, as an actress of her calibre should. Some reviewers perception of the film is that Shue is a new mother struggling with PPD whilst others seem to see it as a haunting/possession type scenario.
For me, I perceived this film to be portraying the struggles of a new mother - the anxieties progressing to psychosis. Having suffered from post natal depression myself after a c-section, I instantly felt a connection to Shue's character, however I never descended into psychosis, thankfully.
But throw in the whole "curse" angle to the mix, along with the character of Jenny who is referred to as having previously lived in the house, then that's when things got a bit confusing for me. When the nanny attached the bundle under the baby's crib, I thought that was to protect the baby. But then when Laura comes back from the black-tie dinner and asks why she didn't answer the phone, the nanny said she hadn't heard it ringing - although the phone could clearly be heard ringing in the background, whilst the nanny was attaching the bundle under the crib.
That said, I still enjoyed the film and couldn't wait to see how it ended. Supernatural thriller or psychological thriller? You decide.