Review of Birth (2004) by Andrew V — 22 Jan 2008

REEEALLY surprising. I expected a tv-looking heavy-handed pseudo-sulfurous drama. but no, to me it was a surprisingly subtle, strangely sensual and beautifully acted story, with nicole more restrained and possibly better than she's ever been ; and cameron bright looking as an incredibly old yet crually innocent angel.

the movie non-judgementally reflects on the possibility of pedophilia, and particularly on the confusing wasteland there is between physical and emotional love, their entwined complexities and their dangerous interaction ; it tackles on the absurdity of taboos as soon as this confusion takes over.

nicole's anna becomes the victim, in spite of her participation in the sensual love with the kid. and don't get me wrong, pedophilia is a terrible thing (i know that for a fact). but the movie overcomes that by showing 2 characters in such need of love that they annihilate any moral & social riffs between them.

to me it worked, as much as the monstruosity of the pedophilia worked in mysterious skin and the tragic victimization worked in woodsman. it think it's basic and necessary to question this psychosis in the open, because the silence and taboo and dismissal can NOT help healing the sickness.

I hope this critic makes sense and doesn't hurt too many people (it's a subject bound to raise violent reactions). two more things: the music is the very BEST alexandre desplat has ever come up with.

and ANNE HECHE: did the director try and fail to cast tilda swinton, cause heche looks like she's cloning tilda doing the part, and as an all-time tilda fan, I thought: great gorgeous and gutsy (tilda roams always in an unexplored territory at the verge of realism and stylization) but then, why not have directly gotten tilda to do it? oh and YES: the 2 minute long still shot on nicole's face at opera: that is loving and respecting your actor!!!