Birth

Birth - **

From director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) comes Birth, the latest attempt by Nicole Kidman to take two steps off the beat and path of her typical role and try something entirely new. This is still a love story of course, but this one differs majorly from the norm; the romantic lead is an eleven year old boy. Putting aside the controversy this has caused (a particular scene in the middle of the movie drew boos from a Venice audience); the film is a mish mashed drag that moves glacially yet still manages to throw its viewers. Some of the film is intriguing, and Cameron Bright is very good in this role. I liked the camera work, and the dull colours set the mood for the dark theme the film would quickly inherit. Nicole Kidman is of course, sufficient in her role. In fact, I can't remember the last time she's been unable to at least slightly prop up any film she appears in. However, this is her second consecutive misstep of the year; first the painfully generic Stepford Wives, now this. Unfortunately despite it's sloth like pace, the movie still manages to be nonsensical, especially when it attempts to be non-verbal and convey everything with an emotion. A massively disappointing, if well directed and acted drama. Thumbs down