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Parents' Guide to

Birth

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

What were they thinking?

Movie R 2004 100 minutes
Birth Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 3 parent reviews

josiasb
josiasb Adult
November 9, 2020
age 18+

Nonsensical

Worst movie I've ever seen. Nothing about birth no reincarnation. Really, doesn't worth your time
sunnygirl67
sunnygirl67 Adult
July 20, 2018
age 18+

AWFUL!

This movie is awful on all levels. Even for someone who is intrigued by past lives. Nothing about when this child realizes that he's her husband, they portray him more as an adult than a child who realized he had a past life. Very cocky. Aside from the bad storyline, there are so many pregnant pauses in this movie, that if you removed them all, you'd have a half hour story. Okay, and let's not forget the creepy yuck factor of this woman actually contemplating sex with a ten year old. YUCK! BTW: Someone said the sex scene was not too bad. Really? if you think it wasn't so bad, why are you even on this site? Most parents concerned with what their kids are viewing would not want them to see such a scene. Not to mention the quasi - pedophile relationship between the two.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

BIRTH centers on Anna (Nicole Kidman), a widow who's preparing to marry her fiancc Joseph, until she meets 10-year-old Sean (Cameron Bright). At the couple's engagement party, Sean tells Anna that he's the reincarnation of her late husband. At first, Anna dismisses Sean's proclamation, believing him to be a disturbed kid with a crush on her. But when Sean keeps revealing moments in Anna's life, she begins to wonder if he's telling the truth, and her life begins to unravel.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Birth's premise is enticing, but more attention given is given to elegant decors than to the film's underlying theories. Has Sean returned to prevent Anna from marrying someone who is hiding his true nature? Was Sean less than the devoted husband Anna wants to remember? Is this just a disturbed boy, obsessed with a beautiful woman? Any of these could have been the basis for a good movie, but the film just hints in those directions and then doubles back.

Meanwhile, the film gets creepy in ways it apparently does not intend, such as when Anna tries to shock Sean out of his delusion by asking him how he intends to satisfy her sexually. And the last fifteen minutes make no sense whatsoever. In the midst of all this mess, there are some lovely performances, especially Alison Elliot as Anna's pregnant sister, Arliss Howard as her husband, and Ted Levine and Cara Seymour as Sean's parents. All create real characters in their brief screen time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about their own views on life after death. What would they like to hear from those they have lost? What should we say now to those who are still here?

Movie Details

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