Philm Series: "Birth" (2004) | Jonathan Glazer

"– just a little boy in my bath tub."

"A film about belief and conviction and fragile purity of feeling, Birth is nonetheless built on a frank absurdity. – the film can sound sillier the more you try to describe or explain it." – Guy Lodge

Trailer

Reviews:

• Deep Focus Review – Brian Eggert
• The Guardian – Guy Lodge

I think the entire film can be seen here, but I will send a link to a free, but lower resolution, version of the film to those who RSVP yes.

Is this a film about belief in reincarnation or something equally suspect -- everlasting love? Whichever, it is a beautifully crafted psychological exploration of the need to believe things that transcend the merely sensible.

When it first came out in 2004 it was largely panned by critics as a "bizarre combination of distinguished talent and inane ideas," both "oddly unforgettable" and "hooey" – but now some call it a "magnificent, misunderstood masterpiece."

...

Sometimes, I've sought out a movie precisely because reputable critics panned it because they found the premise of the film 'hooey.' Sometimes they were right, but often wrong. This time the latter.

On the subject of the hold absurdities can exert on our psychologies, our next topic will address immortality – why many would even consider it were it an option...