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Birth

Posted by jamesgarvin (A) on May 26, 2005 at 09:26:44

I finished watching this film starring Nicole Kidman as a widow about to marry another man after ten years of grieving for her deceased husband. The opening scene shows a man dying contemporaneously with a baby being born.

As she is celebrating with family, including Lauren Bacall as her mother, and a little boy shows up and says that he is her deceased husband. Ironically, he has the same birth name as Kidman's deceased hubby. The second act of the film is about her, and her family's dealing with this child who knows many of her secrets, things that only a husband should know.

Kidman, convinced, to the dismay of her fiancee and family, that this is her husband re-incarnated, tries to figure a way that they can be together. She figures that when he is twenty-one, they can begin their lives together. Her fiancee, or course, has a melt down. And Bacall threatens to call the boys mother, who will undoubtedly call the police. The boys mother informs them that her child woke up one morning and stated that he was not her child.

What finally occurs cannot be divulged. Suffice it to say that the key to the film occurs early when the sister-in-law of the deceased hubby, played by Anne Heche, buries something.

I admired that this subject was handled intelligently, and without comic effect. We have seen a litany of inner body experiences that range from cute and entertaining, but ultimately unfilling, to stupid and ridiculous. This film treats the subject seriously, and the characters are given a screenplay which handles the material intelligently, and they speak and act as we imagine a real person would, under those circumstances. The ending is somewhat unexpected, and perfectly logical. Though it may leave some feeling let down.

Kidman is perfect in this role. She has one scene at an opera where the camera focuses on her face, and only on her face, for about three minutes. You can see these events running through her mind, considering what has happened, why it has happened, and what she must do, and what she can do. Brilliant acting. No unnecessary hand gestures, no fake tears, grimaces. Just true acting. That scene confirms my belief that Kidman has the best and most convincing eyes in the business.

The kid was born to play this role. I recently saw him in Godsend, a thouroughly disposable film, and thought that he was destined to play a better role. Here it is. Lauren Bacall is perfectly cast as the steely, logical, grounded mother. Anne Heche is almost unrecognizable in a rather small role. She let her hair grow out, lost the bleach, and lost that flighy, ditzy demeanor. Peter Stormare turns in a good, small, supporting role as Kidman's brother-in-law.

Highly recommended for those who like intelligence in their films, and those that like Kidman, because she is in virtually every scene. Not for those that need excitement, smashes, lots of dialog, or those that cannot cope with a more contemplative film.

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