Released in 2004, Jonathan Glazer’s reincarnation thriller was a floperoo (critics held their noses; the public stayed home). Even now, mention the title and most either look blank or, if they’re in the know, will ask “What? That thing Glazer made between Sexy Beast and Under The Skin?”
It’s unfair. I’m all for pretty persuasion, but sometimes only bluntness will do: watch Birth! It’s fab!
Glazer co-wrote the script with Bunuel collaborator, Jean-Claude Carriere. Sleek, upper class widow Anna (Nicole Kidman) meets a lower-middle class, 10-year-old, Sean (Cameron Bright). He claims to be her first husband and tells her not to marry again. When Anna and Sean spend the day together, she asks him if he’s had sex; with grave intensity, he replies “You’d be the first”. Later, they sit together in the bath. He says he wants to look at his wife.
Birth is meant to bewilder. The chaos is thrilling, however, because the characters are so recognisably human. They behave irresponsibly. They abuse trust (one of them could be accused of well-intentioned gaslighting). But their emotional vulnerability is haunting.
Kidman’s performance is particularly astounding. She’s one of the most subtle actresses, ever – and anyone who doubts that should be made to watch Birth (along with Dogville, The Others, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and both seasons of Big Little Lies). She got an Oscar for her over the top turn in The Hours, yet zilch for this. Absurd.
Bright, too, is perfect. Half way through the film, Sean’s doting mum croons a sweet nothing and he snaps, “I’m not your stupid son, anymore.”
As Bright delivers that line, he sounds like a jaundiced adult, finally showing his hand – but he also sounds like an alienated teen, struggling with some form of identity dysphoria. Thanks to Bright, Sean’s “possession” is multi-layered, and troubled young viewers, those convinced they’re trapped in the quote-unquote wrong body, may well decide they’ve found a friend.
Glazer, born near Barnet, never moved to Hollywood. And, because he’s the opposite of prolific, his next full-length feature, based on Martin Amis’s novel, The Zone of Interest, may take years to arrive. But, hey, why worry about that, when his old film feels as good as new?
Birth is available to rent on Amazon Prime
