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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Begins taking turns that simply make no sense, even in this quasi-mystical context. Read more
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Those characters almost always behave in a refreshingly logical manner, which makes the premise more intriguing. Read more
Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune: For awhile, the stately symphonic score, urbane setting and understated dress make Birth feel powerful--until it feels empty, lacking what Glazer so furiously exhibited in his equally stylized freshman endeavor: heart. Read more
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Strangely inert, a beautifully filmed bad idea. Read more
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The movie never delivers on its promises. Read more
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: I didn't find it spellbinding at all. Read more
Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Strangely mesmerizing. Read more
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: The story line remains faintly plausible, because Kidman makes us believe she's Anna, and Anna makes us believe. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Such a meticulously wrought piece of hokum that it's both easy to admire and impossible to warm up to. Read more
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: As a demonstration of the power as well as the limitations of exceptional filmmaking, it's as unsettling and unusual as anything you're likely to see. Read more
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: The movie doesn't have the courage to fully embrace the material -- neither the scandalousness of it, nor the psychological and metaphysical implications. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: A mess, elegant at times, but a mess nonetheless. Read more
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: All I could think was, What in God's name do the filmmakers think they're doing? Read more
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: An odd, slightly icky little film, deftly shot and self-assured but unbelievable on just about every level, emotional and otherwise. Read more
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: May be the most futile application of cinematic and acting skill I've seen all year. Read more
John Anderson, Newsday: An austerely creepy, ethereal spook show in which the things that go unexplained -- which are many -- are far more unnerving than the things that are. Read more
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: An odd little picture that finally provides some unsatisfying 'explanations' for all the previously, intriguingly inexplicable things that have gone before. Read more
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: It's corny, plodding, implausible and -- on occasion -- seriously creepy. Read more
Rex Reed, New York Observer: A load of preposterous twaddle. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: Without Ms. Kidman's brilliantly nuanced performance, Birth might feel arch, chilly and a little sadistic, but she gives herself so completely to the role that the film becomes both spellbinding and heartbreaking. Read more
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: Possibly, this idea would have worked as comedy. Say, if the kid had said something like, 'I am dead people.' Read more
James Berardinelli, ReelViews: By trying to turn Birth into a thriller, the filmmakers undermine its intriguing issues. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: An effective thriller precisely because it is true to the way sophisticated people might behave in this situation. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Combining the surrealist daring of Luis Bunuel with the austere technical mastery of Stanley Kubrick, it poses tantalizing questions about grief, longing and imagination as it traces chilling fingers down your spine. Read more
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Despite its trappings, despite its style, Birth is just a tall tale with a short reach. Read more
Christy Lemire, Journal News (Westchester, NY): Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Lingering performances by Nicole Kidman and 11-year-old Canadian actor Cameron Bright, as well as assured direction by Glazer ... complement an unusually thoughtful script that uses a minimum of dialogue to maximum effect. Read more
Claudia Puig, USA Today: Presents an intriguing premise about death and the possibility of rebirth in an elegant, melancholy and deliberate fashion. Read more
Dennis Lim, Village Voice: Charged with an impossible hunger, Birth has a mordantly humorous undertow, recognizing as it does the cognitive dissonance at its core. Read more
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post: Mystery is fine. We like mystery. Muddle is another thing altogether, and jerking around the audience in the name of 'art' is pretty unforgivable. Read more
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Too highbrow for the multiplex and too literal for the hipsters, it's unsatisfying both as gothic camp and serious cinema. Read more