Written and directed by Laura Moss, co-written by Brendan J. O’Brien, a morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from pregnant women. When the girl’s mother, a nurse, discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return. Starring: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, Breeda Wool, Monique Gabriela Curnen, LaChanze and A.J. Lister.
When it comes to horror, so much has already been done that it’s no easy feat to create something that feels genuinely fresh and new but Laura Moss achieves that with Birth/Rebirth. It’s darkly delightful to watch this distressing and disturbing tale unfold. The line that Moss walks between horror, thriller and a touch of drama is reminiscent of Andrew Semans’ style with the hugely underappreciated Resurrection. It has very traditional moments of horror with gore, intensity and discomfort but it isn’t bound by that, they’re used to accent the film while it holds a strongly tense and foreboding atmosphere throughout.
Moss and O’Brien leave you with a continuous feel of dread from the very beginning, there is no happy opening as horror loves to create, it immediately hits a bigger note of reality. There’s something oddly grounded about it, the concept of bringing back the dead may be fantastical but the way in which the writing approaches that takes away any glamour and focuses on logic which is unexpectedly excellent. Part of that comes from the creation of their leading characters, these fiercely strong, capable and resourceful women.
Rose (Marin Ireland) and Celie (Judy Reyes) are presented as opposites, while Rose can be cold, calculating and destructively decisive, Celie is warm, generous and kind. It’s a classic combination, watching those qualities clash then gradually find balance. As well as that the more time they spend together, the more you can see their similarities. They are both genuinely fascinating women, and it would do Birth/Rebirth a disservice to say it’s only the tip of the iceberg because it does a wonderful job delving into their personalities but you could definitely dig even deeper into their complexities.
Of course, all of that is made possible by the incredible performances from Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes. These are two fantastic actresses who’ve been doing consistently great work for years but don’t always get enough credit. Birth/Rebirth is an absolutely showcase of the depth and duality that they can both brilliantly bring to the table. The friendship that they create is genuinely compelling. Even today, it’s still a joy to find films that authentically create such complicated roles for women, characters who exist in a grey area of ethics, although grey is putting it mildly for the deeply dark road these two walk together.
One of the best things that Birth/Rebirth has to offer is that it’s truly unexpected. Yet, it also uses another classic device of horror by leaving breadcrumbs for you to slowly figure out where it’s going. Its exploration of motherhood is slightly shocking, not only in the sense of a mother’s love knowing no bounds whatsoever but looking at the experience from multiple different angles and taking risks to do so. In a particularly apt moment, it has a pregnant woman in a moment of distress asking, ‘what about me?’ when being told not to worry, her baby will be okay. Dipping briefly but memorably into how an expecting mother’s health can often be seen as secondary rather than equal.
Birth/Rebirth plays a high stakes game of life and death but stays satisfyingly grounded. Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes create striking and complex characters who are gripping to watch, and the relationship they develop is incredible. It’s brilliantly tense and shot in such a way that makes the absolute most of its horror roots while keeping the violence and gore to a minimum. It plays with discomfort superbly, never leaving you a moment to relax and will likely leave you feeling slightly stunned. On top of being enjoyably disturbing, it’s different and that’s always a pleasure to find in today’s landscape.
