Birth

I think Birth succeeds by making Nicole's character an essentially decent human being....Some people are left with the side effects of their former passions long after these have faded..... ... Full Review

Birth is very stylish in that old money and formal Upper East Side kind of manner. The opening sequence of a lone jogger running in Central Park along with Alexandre Desplat's score and Harris Savides cinematography was very beautiful to watch because it immediately set the tone for Birth . ... Full Review

I mean, this is, it's just such an annoyingly silly film. Mind you, Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, Anne Heche and Peter Stormare are also splendid. It's a case of so much talent from the director, from the cameramen, the music, the actors. ... Full Review

It's a wonderful movie, carefully made, and consistently rewarding. It's easy to praise Nicole Kidman for her strong acting, but her performance in 'Birth' is a chilling reminder of just how complex an actress she can be. It's a sublime performance. ... Full Review

Birth , despite its best intentions, is a stillborn thriller that fails to live up to its promising conceit. It's a shame, as Glazer also managed to assemble a pretty stellar cast, including Bacall, Kidman, Huston (much better here than in Silver City ), Peter Stormare, Arliss Howard and Anne Heche, all of whom gamely attempt to enliven the sometimes torpid events onscreen. ... Full Review

Dialogue is crisp and the Alexander Desplat score still stuns.....one of the most astounding movie moments of 2004 occurs in what is otherwise one of the year's worst films:....Some of Birth 's brighter sequences readily show off the beautiful textures of Harris Savides's incredible cinematography, but the darker sequences aren't very flattering:....Alexandre Desplat's symphonic score adds to Birth 's patina of physical beauty and symmetry, by turns ironic and wistful..... ... Full Review

For me, the film worked well enough. A fine cast, understated treatment and tantalizing premise make for a movie well worth seeing even if you don't come away believing. ... Full Review

If this scene is a flawed masterpiece I don't mean literal sex (there's an unjustifiably notorious shared-bathtub scene that functions more like a cold shower). ... Full Review

And yet the film's illogic is more interesting....That Anna's grief, loss, and hope are conveyed via Kidman's remarkable face (captured memorably in a harrowing three-minute closeup during an opera performance, as Joseph attempts to keep her in the place he's apparently chosen for her) makes her experience seem almost believable.... ... Full Review

Like many fairy tales, "Birth" is part romance, part mystery, and part family drama - woven into a magical whole about love, mortality and the unknown. Maverick young filmmaker Jonathan Glazer affirms the promise of his brilliant debut, "Sexy Beast," with his new film "Birth," teaming with Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman for a metaphysical love story that explores the space between what we know and what we feel. ... Full Review