There has been a lot to do about Birth, a small drama starring Nicole Kidman. There's a scene where a naked Nicole shares a bath with a naked 10 year old boy. There is a scene where the 10 year old kisses Nicole on the mouth. Hearing this was enough reason for some people to cry "Outrage!" and to try their best to get people to ban the movie. If those people would actually have seen the movie before they would have gotten their panties in a twist, they would have understood that nothing about all this is gratuitous. Yes, the moments are uneasy, but that is because the movie wants us to feel uneasy.
It's all part of the plotline, in which Kidman's Anna is about to get remarried, ten years after losing her then husband Sean to a heart attack. Anna still has a lot of problems getting over her old lover, but is ready to finally take a new step. Then one day a little boy shows up at her house, claiming he is the re-incarnation of Sean, and he wants her back. In the beginning Anna is mixed between being amused and annoyed, but things start to get creepy when the boy starts revealing secrets that nobody could possibly have known. Anna gets more and more intrigued by the little boy, and against the advice of her future husband and family, starts to hang out with him. She's becomes very confused by her feelings, a confusion that is shared by the viewer, since Birth is not very generous in giving out clues to who this little boy really is.
The movie takes it's time revealing new plotpoints, instead choosing to slowly build up the intrigue. Scenes are spun out quite long, and sometimes the camera just lingers on a certain look on Kidman's face, to show how conflicted she really is about all this. The pace is not something you expect in a movie of this kind, but it's a welcome change. It gives a bit of extra depth to the mystery and this thorough examination of Kidman's character only helps to get you more involved. It's another strong role for Kidman, whose short hair suits her very well and she is ably supported by a good cast. People like Peter Stormare and Asliss Howard don't really have a lot to do, but what they do helps build the wall of confusion for Anna. Will she start to listen to her family and tell the boy to stay away, or will she follow her heart, which tells her something completely different? A lesser actor in the role of the boy could have ruined this movie, but Cameron Bright is the perfect casting choice. He looks very thoughtful, considers everything he says carefully and shows that he himself is just as confused by what is going on. The exchanges between Kidman and Bright steer from interesting to plain creepy and you cannot help but feel deeply for these conflicted characters. Birth is not an easy movie, but it's cool "What If" premise is executed very well.
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