Birth (2004)

It's all in the tone. Any inkling or indication that this is all quite silly would make this film collapse like Eminem's talent post-"Marshall Mathers". But the film treats it as a realistic situation with realistic reactions to the bizarre premise, and that's why it retains a certain measure of power. It's good, too, to see Nicole Kidman is still interested in acting and not just waltzing through cynical summer remakes in search of an effortless paycheck. I'm still not sure that Jonathan Glazer is anything but a creator of amazing surfaces (his previous film, Sexy Beast, felt wholly superficial), but this is a step in the right direction.

Grade: B