Birth (2004 film)

Birth is a 2004 psychological drama mystery film co-written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston, Arliss Howard, Peter Stormare, Ted Levine, Anne Heche, and Cara Seymour. Its plot follows a woman who becomes convinced that her deceased husband has been reincarnated in a ten-year-old boy.

Glazer began developing the idea for Birth after completing his first film, Sexy Beast (2000), eventually co-writing the screenplay with Milo Addica and novelist and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, Birth was filmed on location in New York City in early 2003.

Birth premiered in competition at the 61st Venice International Film Festival before being theatrically released in the United States on October 29, 2004. The film polarized critics upon its release and grossed $23.9 million on a budget of $20 million. Kidman was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance. While the film divided critics upon its release, it has been reassessed in the ensuing years and received significant praise, as well as accruing a cult following.