Philm Series: "Birth" (2004) | Jonathan Glazer
Details
"– 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
Reviews:
- Deep Focus Review – Brian Eggert
- The Guardian – Guy Lodge
I think the entire film can be seen here. If you have trouble seeing it at that link, let me know. I will send you another.
Is this a film about belief in reincarnation or something perhaps 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." The film stars Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, and Cameron Bright.
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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...