Birth
dir. Jonathan Glazer

*SPOILERS*

Birth is, truly, one of the oddest films I have seen this year. One of the oddest of the past few years, to be honest. The story is almost entirely located in the Rosemary's Baby-esque confines of WASP empress Elanor (Lauren Bacall, who just cannot help being the most incredible onscreen presence ever)'s mini-palace apartment. At Elanor's birthday party, her widowed daughter Anna announces her engagement--and a 10-year-old boy claiming to be her dead husband shows up uninvited. It sets the scene for a fascinating little storm in a teacup, one of the best directed, shot and designed pictures of the year.


What is Birth really all about? Are we really supposed to take this reincarnation idea seriously? At the beginning of the film, we hear the man this little boy (Cameron Bright, who is very effectively cast) claims to be dismiss the very notion as laughable. I personally agree with him, but the mood of the film is so supernatural and unearthly, I began to feel myself slipping into believing, just as Anna does. [Young] Sean's incredible conviction, so unsettling I literally squirmed in my seat a couple of times, becomes so undoubtable that the film's 'twist' just further befuddled me. Even after the big revalation, Glazer doesn't really let your mind get a handle on things: for one, who would ever trust anything Anne Heche tells you, and for two, the plotholes are beginning to gape so wide you simply have to start embracing the supernatural storyline to keep the momentum.


But even if the movie ocassionally seems...well, rather silly, Glazer's outstanding direction and a really strong central performance from Nicole Kidman make it extremely compelling and quite memorable. Even now, I can't shake either the idea of the film out of my head, and its striking imagery has proved quite lasting. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Anna is completely bonkers, and has been through the whole film--merely confirmed by the wonderful closing shot (complimented wonderfully, as was the whole film, by Alexandre Desplat's stirling score) of nutso Anna wailing on the beach in her wedding dress. I mean hell, if you didn't even notice your beloved never-there husband was cheating on you, and you loved him so much you'd take a bath with some kid ten years on just to remind yourself of him...plus if Lauren Bacall is your mother...you must be crazy.

Or something.

What a great movie!!!!

****

Briefs on films I've seen recently:


Garden State sometimes aims a little too high and the narrative strays a little too far in the final act, but its earnest heart and an incredibly spirited and charming performance by Natalie Portman make it memorable and ultimately quite worthwhile. Peter Sarsgaard also impresses (he has a seriously incendiary screen presence). Writer/director/star Zach Braff clearly has skill, even if the movie occasionally feels a little overcooked. *** 1/2


I was a huge fan of David O. Russell's ambitious Three Kings, but in terms of ambition, that film doesn't even touch I Heart Huckabee's. Tackling a wide field of different philosophies and the meaning of life, it's got a terrific ensemble cast (a lovely Mark Wahlberg, kooky Dustin Hoffman and caffinated Jude Law, and the true return of Rushmore's awesome Jason Schwartzman) and some great moments. Very scattershot indeed, but overall quite a fun ride. *** 1/2


Unlike the disaster that was The Truth About Charlie, Jonathan Demme's remake of The Manchurian Candidate is actually pretty good. It strikes a suitably eeire tone throughout and is very well performed: Washington, always a capable lead, is great as Ben Marco, Liev Schreiber is fantastically steely as Raymond Shaw, and Meryl Streep hams up quite effectively as his mother (although Angela Lansbury's original performance in the role could never be equaled). Although fairly barmy, it does work well being released in the election year and actually had gotten under my skin a little by the end. Surprisingly good. *** 1/2


Saved! has a great premise and a suitably evil Mandy Moore well-cast as an evangelical high school bully, but overall it really does fail to convince. Despite fine acting by all of the cast, the film dips in quality as it goes on, and the ham-fisted ending ruins a lot of what has gone past. The equally flawed Mean Girls did it better. ** 1/2


Nicole Kassell's The Woodsman contains some truly great ensemble work: Mos Def, Kyra Sedgwick and Benjamin Bratt all give noteworthy performances. But it is Kevin Bacon's truly extraordinary work as a convicted paedophile trying to rebuild his life that anchors the film. Often very unsettling, Kassell does not flinch from showing us a more objective view of the character. The film sometimes drifts into cliche, but has a powerful ending and a lasting effect. ****


Open Water wasn't particularly memorable or well-done, but it has a terrifying premise that it exploits rather well for an incredibly tense 80-odd minutes. The ending is a little weak and it certainly doesn't have the low-budget horror impact that Blair Witch did, but it wasn't too bad. ***