Movie of the Day (12/07/2009)- Birth (2004)

Movie of the Day: Birth (2004)
Starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, and Anne Heche
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer

Sometimes the avant-garde can lure us in by a variety of different devices; a striking ambience, an unforgettable mise-en-scene, music that enraptures and, most importantly, stories that bare little resemblance to anything to be found in the mainstream. Although those who have never heard of it nor many who actually saw it would be inclined to agree, but Birth has all of the above and more.

Birth is a winter tale that opens with the collapsing figure of a man running through New York's Central Park. Flash forward 10 years later, and the man's wife Anna (Kidman); the daughter of a socialite (Bacall) is celebrating her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Joesph (Huston.) Yet there is a solemn child that continues to linger about in the lobby below who finds himself drawn to Anna. Days later the youngster sneaks into Anna's apartment, interrupting her mother's birthday party and proclaiming that he is Anna's late husband Sean. While she doesn't believe him at first, the child's shocking divulgence of a wealth of personal information coupled with Anna's inability to fully let go of her first husband, convinces her that Sean has come back.

Its impossible to write anything about Birth without first discussing Kidman's brilliant work in the film for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. She portrays a character that is a socialite, yet not classically glamorous. She seems to a be a well-adjusted woman, who is truly in love with the man she is engaged to and both her career and her social life appear to be thriving. Despite all of this, it is obvious, even without the necessary prologue, that Anna is a woman who has known pain and suffering and that beneath the exterior lies an undeniable fragility. Kidman must have instantly recognized these various facets as she employs them skillfully at exactly the right times. She manages to capture Anna's content outlook on her life while at the same time channelling her doubts and fears.

The rest of the cast does high quality work, in particular Huston as Joseph who, second to Anna, is perhaps the film's most conflicted character. He loves Anna, yet he is filled with rage at the thought of losing her. Yet he indulges in her fantasy that Sean might actually be alive. Bacall as Anna's mother provides the sole voice of reason as only Bacall could, Heche as a friend with a secret turns in a performance one didn't think her capable of, and Cameron Bright as the reincarnated Sean is completely engrossing giving a performance unlike any other child actor in recent years.

While not in the traditional sense, Birth is a truly beautiful-looking film. Its strict use of colors such as brown, beige, gold, tan, white and occasionally black, give the film a quality that's more classic, timeless, and indeed elegant. In fact, throughout most of the film, one has trouble discerning what year the story even takes place as a result.

However the strongest asset of the film is without a doubt its subtleties. There aren't any overly-composed musical scores, nor are there many frenzied scenes that induce panic or fear, but rather the entire film is directed with a quiet hand, allowing the nature of the story to provide the haunted elements on its own terms as opposed to being forced upon by human forces. This is a testement to director Glazer's talent, which earned him a nomination at the Venice Film Festival for his work in Birth.

Nowhere is the sheer genius of Kidman's work, the excellent use of color, the skillful subtleties, and Glazer's unique talent more apparent than when Anna and Joseph go to the opera. At this point Anna is unsure what to believe anymore and rather than focus on the opera itself, the camera never moves from Kidman's face which is filled with conflict, hope, fear, and love. It is quite possibly the best moment in an otherwise near-perfect film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OfjZ5Msdb8&feature=related