Birth (2004)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 November 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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:

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

Also Known As:

Reencarnación (Argentina) (Chile) (Spain) [es]
Рождение (Russia) [ru]
Birth (France) [fr]
Birth - Io sono Sean (Italy) [it]
Gennisi (Greece) [el]
La naissance (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:

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: When Anna steps in front of the hedge to pose for the wedding photographer, the hedge is clearly taller than her. In the next shot, the hedge is only waist-high and you can see the wedding party in the background.

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:

Tonight You Belong to Me

Promises, promises

Alexander Desplat, the splendid composer of "Birth" starts us off in a such away that I though I was in for a real treat. Then Nicole Kidman, with her astonishingly beautiful, intense, intelligent face. Elegant fades to black, scrumptious cinematography. Then what? As soon as 10 year old boy makes his appearance telling her, them and us who he is, the film stops and dwells on that point without knowing where to go. Round and round and round again. Among the writers of "Birth" is listed the great Jean-Claude Carriere with amazing titles to his credit. I don't believe for a minute that he had anything to do with the appalling structure of this mess. The most frustrating feature of this film is that it promises a memorable journey within the first ten minutes and then ignores it, ignore us it cheated us. I really want to blame someone for this, who shall I call?