Life after death, with a twist

The first half of Jonathan Glazer's ("Sexy Beast") "Birth" is quite interesting and sets the stage for what could be a fascinating film. The story opens with a long steady shot of a man jogging through Central Park who then unexpectedly drops dead, most likely of a heart attack. This is followed by a shot of a baby's first breath of life. \nThe idea of life after death is covered in many film genres, however there are very few movies that deal with the idea of reincarnation. "Birth" asks the question, what would you do if a child entered your life claiming to be a dead loved one?\nNicole Kidman stars as Anna, a woman who is engaged to be married and is finally at peace with the unexpected loss of her husband Sean. In the first 10 minutes we see her full of joy at an engagement party and completely in love with her snooty fiancée Joseph, played wonderfully by Danny Huston ("21 Grams"). All this changes, however, when a young child, also named Sean (Cameron Bright,) enters Anna's apartment during a birthday party and tells her that he is her husband Sean and that she should not marry Joseph. \nAt first Anna does not believe what the young boy tells her, but after the boy brings up personal information about her prior life with Sean, Anna begins to have second thoughts. As the movie progresses we see her fall in love with her late husband all over again, even though he is living in the body of a 10-year-old boy. \nKidman gives a very strong performance in this movie and is convincing as a woman confused with a sudden change in her life. A certain amount of curiosity and suspense grows in the first half of the movie, but diminishes as the rest of the story unfolds due to a number of logistical errors, the biggest being the role of young Sean's parents.\nWhile the film wonderfully explores Anna's feelings toward young Sean's entrance in her life, we do not see how the boy's mother and father deal with their son's strange transformation. This side of the film, although a side story, would be interesting to see considering it's not every day your child claims to be the husband of a 40-year-old woman.\nTo add to this dilemma, there is also the issue of the time that Sean spends with Anna and her family during most of the film. Throughout Anna's search for answers, young Sean attends the family functions, spends a night at the stranger's apartment and even shares a bath with Anna, all while his parents are at home somehow not wondering where their son is.\nJonathan Glazer, whose previous work includes many of the British rock band Radiohead's music videos and the creepy 2000 film "Sexy Beast," brings a certain amount of style to the film, and the story is interesting. However, somewhere along the lines the suspense is lost, and the film bails out with a sub-par ending.