"Birth" was shot in 2004, an old film. At that time, Nicole Kidman had a little baby fat on his beautiful face, and he looked very young. But I prefer her now, mature and not vicissitudes of life.
The film begins with a man running in New York’s Central Park. The voice-over said (excerpt): If I lose my wife today and a bird falls in front of the window the next day, he stares into my eyes and says, I’m Anna, I'm back. What can i say? I will believe her. . . He ran with this thought, suddenly fell down, and died like that.
Anna (Nicole Kidman) lost her husband ten years ago, and now plans to marry her new boyfriend Jusef. Josef drove her to the cemetery for the last time. Anna stood in front of the tomb for a while, and finally touched the tombstone lightly to show her final farewell.
They are having a party in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. Many guests, Clara and her husband Clifford walked into the door with presents. Clara suddenly said that she would go to the car and tie a ribbon to the gift box. Clifford walked into the party by herself, and Anna greeted him.
Clara did not go to the car, but went under a tree in Central Park and buried the box in the soil. Then I went to the store and bought another gift. What she didn't know was that all her actions were seen by a little boy.
At the party, Anna and Josef announced that they were going to get married. Josef told everyone how hard he had pursued these years, and finally Anna agreed to marry him. The party was a success, the guests were gone, and the two of them returned to the bedroom, very excited and happy. They have sex and Nicole Kidman appears naked. (I have seen her naked in other movies at least two or three times. In my opinion, every time is necessary.) The
next day was Anna’s mother’s birthday party. Anna held a big cake filled with candles. Entering the living room, the little boy also quietly followed in. When people noticed him and asked who he was and what he was doing, he said he wanted to talk to Anna. Anna took him into the kitchen, and the boy told her that his name was Sean Xiang, ten years old this year, and Anna's dead husband. Anna laughed, I don’t know how to explain the child, Xiang insisted again and again, Anna was bored, pulled his clothes, led him to the duty room downstairs, gave the concierge 20 dollars, let him call a taxi to send the child back Family.
In the morning Anna went to work, and the porter gave her a letter. When he arrived at the company, Anna opened the letter, which was written by the little boy: Don’t marry Jiusefu-Xiang. As you can see, Anna feels funny and a little unhappy. When she returned home in the evening, she showed this letter to Jousserf, who was secretly angry, went to the boy's house, talked with his parents, and called Anna to come. Anna told him Xiang not to disturb them anymore, Xiang's father also warned his son not to harass the woman, but Xiang just said: I can't do it, I can't do it. Anna and Jiusefu were tired, and turned to leave. When Anna left, she said: You are not Xiang, I want to marry Jiusefu! Xiang Li fainted to the ground.
Anna and Josef went to listen to the symphony. The music rang in their ears all night, but Anna's mind was full of the little boy and her dead husband Sean. The camera didn't leave Anna's face for a second, and within a few minutes, all the turbulent waves in Nicole Kidman's heart appeared on his face.
The next day, Xiang left a message on Anna's phone: Don't be stupid, wait for me in the park-you know where. Anna went to Central Park, where Xiang Zheng was waiting for her where her husband died. Anna was shocked and asked: Who are you? The boy replied: I am Xiang, your husband. If I answered all your questions, would you believe me? (
Spooky !) Xiang's elder brother Bob visited the boy and asked him many questions, and Xiang answered fluently, even the details of his and Anna's privacy were accurate. Bob played the recording for everyone, and Anna began to waver. Anna obtained the consent of the boy's mother and asked Xiang to come to her house for one night and send Xiang to school. In the evening Anna took a hot bath in the bathtub in the bathroom, Xiang took off his clothes, went into the bathtub, and sat down opposite Anna. Anna couldn't believe it: what are you doing? What are you doing? The boy said: look at my wife. Looking at my wife. Fiance Jusef just came back, seeing this scene, but refrained from going into the bathroom.
Anna was confused and began to suspect that the boy might be Xiang. During this period, there were some stories: wedding rehearsal, the conflict between Jusef and the boy, Jusef moved out, Anna sent the boy to school, and Anna began to believe that the boy was really the rebirth of her husband. She and the boy kissed for the first time. Anna and the boy ate ice cream and asked him how to "satisfy her needs." The boy said I knew what you were referring to. Anna asked again: Have you ever had sex? The boy said: You will be my first.
OMG! You know, I watched this film after watching "The Love of Hawthorn Tree". The strong cultural conflict between the East and the West made me at a loss. The hawthorn tree makes me feel normal and abnormal: people express their love in a sneaky way and are considered hooligans. I have come from that era and fully understand this, but the infiltration of Western civilization over the past ten years has made me reject the culture that was once acceptable and think it is too inhumane. The weirdness in "Birth" makes me feel normal again. It is not that women in their 30s and ten-year-old boys talk about sex, but they are expressing human instincts and they can talk about sex.
This is what I said in the last article. I have left the imprint of two cultures on my body, and this contrast and difference suddenly emerged from the bottom of the water, and it became clear from the vagueness, which helped me clarify a lot of conscious confusion. I feel that I understand a little bit, and my heart feels a lot more peaceful. Although I am not clear, I hope you understand what I want to say is a very metaphysical thing, which affects me every day.
To make a long story short, Anna went from "doing not want to love Sean again" to believing the boy, and decided to wait for him for eleven years before they get married. This is a process of inner struggle. At this time, the boy said to Anna: I am not a Xiang. But he couldn't tell Anna the reason, just said: I can't tell you because I love you.
This change of the boy is related to Clara and the box she buried in Central Park. I won't reveal much. Go and see for yourself. The suspense here is something I didn't expect.
Anna and Josef held their wedding, and the ceremony was over, Anna left the photographer and headed to the sea. Josef came after and hugged Anna. She was crying at the roaring sea, but we could not hear anything. Her voice was completely submerged by the sea...
I think I know what Anna is crying for, she again Lost Sean, her husband once. For ten years, Anna has been calm, and the appearance of the boy made her understand that the love for her husband has always been in her heart, but it is getting deeper and deeper. The last cry was to spit out the sad thoughts of the past ten years, she said goodbye to Sean, she was about to start a new life.
It is said that after seeing the script, Nicole Kidman called the director to play Anna. The director hesitated at first, and in the end not only used her, but also changed the script for her to make the characters more suitable for Kidman. The nude scene of Anna and the boy in the bathtub is controversial, but the fact is that they wore clothes that were close to skin color and invisible to the audience.
In short, this is a relatively complicated movie, with a complicated story and complicated feelings. But to my taste. Rotten Tomatoes only gave 3.8 stars, and the New York Times' reviews of "Birth" were not very good. I think watching a movie is a very personal matter. My taste, mood, and environment at the time will all play a role.
2011.6.4
View more about Birth reviews
