Birth/Rebirth

"Birth/Rebirth" is a psychological horror film that explores the consequences of playing God and the ethics of medical advancements. It follows two mothers, Rose and Celie, with contrasting perspectives on life and death. Their lives intersect when Celie's daughter dies, and Rose's experiments to bring the dead back to life become relevant. The film delves into the emotional impact of this resurrection on both mothers, raising questions about the boundaries of maternal instincts. It features unsettling and graphic scenes, drawing inspiration from David Cronenberg and classic horror literature. Laura Moss approaches the concept of body horror and extreme maternal instincts from a feminist perspective, leaving a lingering impact without relying on jump scares.

Laura Moss' engrossing medical thriller is an update on the regeneration of the dead theme. Pathologist Dr. Rose Casper (a determined Marin Ireland) has been experimenting with reviving dead tissue of animals. Opportunity knocks one day when a six year old girl Lila (A. J. Lister) is wheeled into the morgue. Dr. Casper springs into action making the dead child her biggest experiment yet. Things get infinitely more complicated when Lila's mother, Celie (a fierce Judy Reyes), finds out. Celie happens to be a nurse.

What makes Moss and co-writer Brenden J. O'Brien's screenplay so involving is that it focuses more on parenting and morality than the experiment itself. The story sets up a fascinating dynamic between the two medical professionals. As Lila's mother, Celie, obviously has a maternal attachment to her daughter, but, there is also a symbiotic relationship that develops between the Creator and her Creation. Dr. Casper is fully committed to her work, even using her own body as a vessel for her experiments. Still, a mother's bond is inviolate. It becomes more than just a test of wills, everything is at stake for both women -- even at the expense of the Lila's unfortunate soul.

Moss' direction is gripping and the script plays out in an intelligent direction save for one miss-step which seems to be included as if to justify the "horror film" label. It does get gruesome, but never for it's own sake. The basic theme, of course, goes back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein myth. There are no significant male characters. It's a powerful collaboration between Moss and her four main actresses (Breeda Wool plays an expectant mother who gets caught up in the crossfire). Ireland and Reyes are exceptional as the dueling women at the center of the tale.

BIRTH/REBIRTH updates an old tale. The storytelling isn't the most innovative, but it's smartly told and genuinely thought-provoking - not to mention disturbing.

Overrated as hell, by no means this is a 77/100 movie (Current Metascore rating). Furthermore, this is mislabelled. It's not horror neither thriller. This is a sci fi drama. Many people who are gonna watch it in order to get scared or enjoy themselves, will be disappointed. This is not an enjoyable movie neither mindless fun. Plot is really heavy.

However, this has nothing to do with the movie. It's not director's fault it's mislabelled or overrated.

Actors are very good. Always a pleasure watching "Carla" from SCRUBS, she is definitely skilled enough for more dramatic roles. Marin Ireland nailed it, too.

Plot was really heavy though. I didn't expect something like this. To be honest, if i knew this was a sci fi psychological drama, i wouldn't watch it, at least these days. So, if you are in the mood for a sci fi drama with very good acting performances, a drama about motherhood above all, you will probably like it more than me. I didn't enjoy it, therefore I cannot recommend it. Remember, this has nothing to do with horror.

In any case, it's not boring and the ending is rushed.

Phew, that was... emotionally exhausting. Technically this seemed much more like a dark, atmospheric drama... however I FEEL like I just watched a horror, so that's a new and interesting experience that I appreciated.

There was so much to be appreciated about this movie. The story was intriguing and engaging. It took a subject matter that was familiar, yet out of the grasp of our current reality and made it feel feasible and realistic. It was done with a finesse and tact that was eerie, unsettling, yet relatable.

A large portion of the success here is due to the performances by our two leads. The mother did a great job giving a gut wrenching performance, and the doctor in particular served us a character that was so unrelatable yet so round, consistent and realistic. They both did a pretty stellar job.

The pacing got just slightly off mainly towards the middle and dragged a bit, but nothing that was unredeemable. I was pretty glued to the screen, taking in the beautiful picture quality, a bit of gnarly gore, an intriguing story and some truly solid acting. I found myself wanting more once it was finished, but in a good way. Would recommend.

It's not often that the horror genre throws up an original idea these days, but this film is a rare example demonstrating that it is still possible. It is a twisted and disturbing tale that avoids falling into established genre cliches. Not an easy film to watch, especially for the squeamish, with lots of blood and body parts on display. But for those with strong constitutions, the story is gradually revealed, drawing the viewer ever more deeply into the twisted plot and the increasingly mad behaviours of the two lead characters. The acting is very good, somehow managing to engage the viewer whilst at the same time revealing the repellent nature of their actions.