birth day

jonny mugwump

exotic pylon
Wow, just spent an overawed afternon watching Jonathan "Sexy Beast" Glazer's Birth. Not literally obviously. Cutting a long story short if u dont know of the story, Anna's firts husband dies whilst jogging and the action takes place 10 years later as she prepares to remarry. A 10 year old boy called Sean walks in to her aprtment and announces that he is the reincarnation of her husband. Dont switch off unbelievers. What follows is so powerful.

And, replaying it in my head, just don't know what to make of it. The immeadiate intimation of reincarnation slowly evolves into a really masterful study of grief and love, amazingly bereft of overblown melodrama. I mean it is dramatic, but really understated. As a more earth-bound explanation begins to unravel, there are just a few theoretical holes to prevent real closure- all the way through and well after, a nagging feeling of something not being quite right can't be shaken

I'm not gonig to say that it's not flawed but some of the performances especaially Nicole Kidman and the little boy whose name escapes me right now were truly stunning. The extended portrait shot of Anna at the opera, 3 minutes worth of extreme close-up revealing the transition on her face as what at first seemed absurd suddenly begins to take root, is truly breathtaking.

A very serious film, very eerie that witholds enough to remain enigmatic and ambiguous without totally being totaly mystifying. Co-scripted by an old cohort of Bunuel, a 'Hollywood' movie with ambition and patience. And, the final reel is heartbreaking, a real eerie strange lingering image.

Anybody aggree...?
 
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