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D+ |
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N/A |
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N/A |
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Avoid this early Thanksgiving turkey
by S (movies profile)
Jan 4, 2007
54
of
64 people found this review helpful
I was a little surprised when I discoverd Birth had been released. It seemed ages ago, hearing about the project staring Nicole Kidman, with the director of Sexy Beast. My hopes were set high, despite my personal disappointment with Kidman's last two features... Cold Mountain and The Stepford Wives.
And I'm said to report that Kidman, has once again acted in a project where the supporting characters outshined her, and choosen material that I'm sure many would question why it was ever made.
It's not a horror film. It's not a thriller. Instead, we have a boring drama, where little dialogue is said, and we have lingering shots with only music cues. One scene, you stare at Nicole Kidman's almost reactionless face for about three minutes. Had the story been more compelling, it might have worked.
But the story is disturbing. Kidman's husband dies early in the film. A baby is born, and ten years later, he shows up and claims to be her husband. Oh, and he attempts to put a halt to her impending nuptuals to another guy.
She intially finds this amusing, but after the boy recites some personal knowledge of her late husband, she quickly finds herself in love. Nevermind he's only 10.
You find yourself cringing when she questions the boy on how he'll sexually satisfy her, or when they share a kiss, or later when she's taking a bath, he comes into the room, removes his clothes, and joins her.
I kept waiting for some major revelation that would somehow salvage this difficult material, but what does happen, is given away early on, and any sensible person will have figured it out long before the movie comes to its conclusion.
The only interesting moments in the film are offered by the superb supporting cast, including the actor who plays Kidman's fiance, and the actress who plays her sister.
The cinematography is also well done and the music is interesting.
On the whole the movie doesn't work.
Unless you enjoy your films challenging with off-putting subject matter, you might forget about this one. |
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