Birth/Rebirth
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Shocking images in smart horror movie about motherhood.
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Birth/Rebirth
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What's the Story?
In BIRTH/REBIRTH, overworked nurse/single mother Celie (Judy Reyes) drops off her young daughter, Lila (A.J. Lister), with a neighbor when the girl isn't feeling well enough to go to school. Later, Celie learns that Lila has been taken to the hospital -- but when Celie gets there, it's too late. Lila is gone, the victim of bacterial meningitis. Celie approaches morgue technician Rose (Marin Ireland) about seeing her daughter's body but gets a suspicious answer. Celie finds Rose's apartment and -- to her astonishment -- discovers Lila inside, now alive. Rose has been using fetal tissue to create a serum that can bring the dead back to life. Celie immediately moves in with Rose to help care for Lila, who doesn't quite seem like herself. But when Rose suffers an accident, the women must find another source for their serum or lose Lila again forever.
Is It Any Good?
Reportedly inspired by Frankenstein, this impressive horror-drama gives Mary Shelley's monstrous themes a fresh, feminist twist. The feature directing debut of Laura Moss and co-written by Moss and Brendan J. O'Brien, Birth/Rebirth moves with incredible confidence, conjuring genuine shocks and inducing squirms, but also focusing on quiet, character-driven moments. Ireland's Rose is severe and humorless, while Reyes' Celie is warm and maternal. Even though they're polar opposites, the two women somehow fit together, bound by their mutual desire to see Lila thrive. Yet they're more than just that; Moss includes small, almost needless moments that break them out of their narrow character descriptions, casting doubt on their motivations and making them more dimensional and human. The movie's dark visual design likewise calls up a sense of dread (aided by the presence of an undead pig); there's nothing life-giving about this laboratory. Birth/Rebirth is a brilliant movie that, like the Frankenstein story, deserves deeper deconstruction (without, of course, giving away its surprises).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Birth/Rebirth's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be shocked or scared?
What does the movie seem to be saying about motherhood? Would you go as far as Celie did to protect a child?
One character who says she was unable to conceive a child explains how she finds joy in life. How did this scene make you feel? Why do you think you felt that way?
How is the movie similar to, or different from, the Frankenstein story?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 18, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: November 10, 2023
- Cast: Marin Ireland , Judy Reyes , Breeda Wool
- Director: Laura Moss
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Female actors, Latino actors
- Studios: IFC Films , Shudder
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 98 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: disturbing material and gore, some sexual content, language and nudity
- Last updated: November 8, 2023
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