Great Film: Birth
The Main Problem Was....
The premise of the death of a prominent scientist coinciding with the
birth of a child and the two "souls" merging ten years later was an
intriguing one. But despite the effective cinematography, especially
the exterior scenes in New York City, there was a central problem to
this film.
The major problem was in the characterization of the child. The main
character Anna (Nicole Kidman) becomes attached to the 10-year-old boy
who claims to be her deceased husband. Anna then develops an obsession
with the child, throwing her engagement to Joseph (Danny Huston) into
confusion.
If only the child had some personality and had been able to convey some
of the charm of the deceased husband, it might have been possible to
become engaged in this film as a supernatural thriller. (When Anna and
the boy meet privately in Central Park, the site is Sean's death scene.
A more appropriate spot would have been a special part of the park
where the couple met in life--not the place where Sean died.)
Throughout the film, the boy only asserted ad nauseum that he was the
husband "Sean" without giving Anna any hint of the "soul" of her former
husband. If only the screenwriters could have developed sensitively and
insightfully the characterization of the child, this film could have
been stunning.
The credibility gap was too wide for us to believe that Anna would
actually begin to love the child as the reincarnation of her husband.
It was also too difficult to believe that Joseph, Anna's family, and
the child's parents would permit him to literally move into Anna's
apartment.
The most effective scene in the film was the moment when Anna's
sister-in-law Clara (Anne Heche) confronts the child with her own
secrets pertaining to Anna and Sean. The entire film might have
resonated this level of energy if only the little boy had been given a
personality!
It is unfortunate that this little kid could not have been paired with
Linda Blair's character in "The Exorcist." Now that would have been a
perfect match!
Cast
- Joseph played by Danny Huston
- Clifford played by Peter Stormare
- Lee played by Novella Nelson
- Anna played by Nicole Kidman
- Young Sean played by Cameron Bright
- Eleanor played by Lauren Bacall
- Laura played by Alison Elliott
