(review written by Vinoo)
Language : English
Director : Jonathan Glazer
‘Birth’ is a film that is seemingly about reincarnation. It begins with a speech in the background where someone is speaking about reincarnation being a myth. This is followed by the death of a jogger, in the park, presumably with a heart attack. At this precise moment there is a birth that takes place some place else. Ten years later a kid claims to be Sean (Cameron Bright), the same man who died in the park. He claims to be Anna’s dead husband when he dramatically appears at her mother’s birthday party. He tells her that he is her husband, Sean. He also tells her not to make the mistake of marrying Joseph (Danny Huston). His claims are brushed off as childish babble but then on closer examination by Anna’s brother-in-law it is revealed that the kid knows very specific and intimate details about Sean and his relationship with Anna. Gradually Anna’s fiancé gets upset and leaves. Everyone is convinced that it is only a childish prank, everyone that is except Anna. She begins to believe it is indeed her reincarnated husband. In a very controversial scene there is a smooch between the kid and Anna and also a nude scene in the bath-tub. She even plans to get married to him after eleven years by when he will be 21. Anna seeks the help of one her close friends’ as she herself cannot seem to take a call on the kid, Sean. Her friend’s fiancé figures the little Sean has got his hands on the letters that Anna wrote Sean and he in turn passed it on to Clara unopened to prove he loved her more. Clara hid it in the woods although she planned on gifting it to Anna on her wedding day. She was in fact Sean’s mistress. Clara confronts the kid and says if you were Sean you would come to me first “I am your lover. Anna is your wife”. She seemingly calls his bluff. Sean is now seen wandering aimlessly in the streets and he meets Anna and tells her he isn’t Sean.
From there on Anna gets married to her fiancé on the beach but the memory of Sean seems to haunt her there too as you hear Sean’s letter to her being read out in the background. The film leaves things a little delightfully vague. How would the kid know some of the intimate details and details of where exactly Sean died even if he did access the letters? And if he was Sean reincarnate, which I believe was the way it was intended, he probably did walk out on Anna since he believed that they couldn’t be together again considering he was just a kid. To me that little intrigue makes it a much better film and makes it one of everlasting love.
Brilliant screenplay by Jean Claude Carriere (‘Cyrano de bergerac’, ‘Diary of a Chambermaid’, ‘Belle de jour’, ‘Tin Drum’ etc), in association with Milo Addica and Jonathan Glazer.
Also watched Robert Bresson’s ‘Mouchette’. Didn’t like it as much as his other films. Finally got to watching ‘Delhi 6’. Liked the music but it was what could have been a much better film. Awaiting the so-called closer to original script edit by the director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra. Watched Surya’s ‘Varanam Aayiram’. Really long and very disappointing.
Useless trivia : Nicole Kidman offered to play the role of Anna after watching ‘Sexy Beast’ by the same director. Jonathan Glazer gave Nicole Kidman the short hair look and minimal costume to depict a woman in a long period of mourning and someone who had let go of all sexual pleasure and glamour. Nicole Kidman’s mannerism in the film somehow seemed like Meg Ryan’s to me.
Birth received unfairly, in my opinion, bad reviews when it was released and it was even booed at the Venice Film Festival where it debuted in 2004.
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