Birth (2004)

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 November 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Be careful what you wish for.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Psychological Thriller | Infidelity | Ice Cream | Nudity | Engagement

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

Also Known As:

Reencarnación (Argentina) (Chile) (Spain) [es]
Birth (France) [fr]
Birth - Io sono Sean (Italy) [it]
Gennisi (Greece) [el]
Naissance, La (Canada: French title) [fr]
Reencarnação (Brazil) [pt]

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:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Taiwan:R-18 | 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: Toward the end of the film, when Anna first goes into the conference room to apologize to Joseph, the lights are on/off/on 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 "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2004-10-30)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Bridal March from 'Lohengrin'

Underrated

Birth (2004)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Ten years after the death of her husband, a woman (Nicole Kidman) is about to remarry but she gets a visit from a 10-year-old boy (Cameron Bright) who claims to be her husband reincarnated. This is certainly a very strange, bizarre yet unique love story/thriller that asks a lot of deep questions but sadly none are really answered due to the lackluster ending. The first hour is certainly hard hitting stuff with some eerie atmosphere that goes a long way. Nicole Kidman turns in another brilliant and incredibly brave performance, which should have gotten more attention but I guess it was overlooked due to the controversy surrounding a couple scenes including the one with her and the kid in the bathtub together. What I enjoyed best was that the film played out as something from real life and not B.S. we see in a movie. The characters are all very mature, they think and act the way people do in life and not in some normal movie. Danny Huston and Lauren Bacall co-star. Anne Heche is also very good in a role I didn't even know it was her at first.