Birth/Rebirth (2023) is a Devastating Tale of Reanimation, Motherhood, and Science
Title: Birth/Rebirth
First Non-Festival Release: August 18, 2023 (Limited Theatrical Release)
Director: Laura Moss
Writer: Laura Moss, Brendan J. O’Brien
Runtime: 98 Minutes
Starring: Judy Reyes, Marin Ireland, Breeda Wool
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
The idea of bringing the dead back to life has long been around in the horror genre in one way or another for centuries. Particularly, the birth of science fiction with Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ has inspired countless tales of wayward scientists obsessed with reversing the natural process of dying.
Morgue technician Rose (Marin Ireland) shares this obsession. When Celie’s (Judy Reyes) five-year-old daughter Lila (A.J. Lister) dies from an unexpected illness, Rose conspires to take her body to use it for the next step in her sequence of experiments on reanimation. When Celie confronts Rose, she finds that Lila is alive. Intertwining needs ensure the pair works together to see how far this process can go to restore Lila. The cost for keeping her alive, however, requires more suffering.
Dark, brooding horror drama Birth/Rebirth hinges on stunning performances from its impressive lead actresses.
Exploring the science fiction of reanimating the dead while hinting at the moral quandaries that come with that baggage, Birth/Rebirth adds new depth to the cannon of horror that mines the material. Following the typical tropes of the subgenre, Birth/Rebirth focuses more on the ‘why’ than the ‘how’ of Lila’s recovery. Celie’s motivations are clear. Being a single mother who adores her only child, her desire to do whatever it takes for Lila’s survival is unquestionable. Rose, however, is drawn more into the scientific element. Interested in pushing the boundaries of what is possible, she focuses less on ethics and more on results. Both find themselves changing when forced to work together.
Less about Lila’s regeneration and more about the broken pieces of Celie and Rose being glued back together, Birth/Rebirth explores the uncomfortable intersection of motherhood and science. The decisions that each woman makes are made with the hope of keeping Lila alive. Their motivations, however, are different. Celie understandably wants Lila back after losing her so suddenly. Rose knows that this may be her one opportunity to continue her experimentation given that the necessary conditions are extremely rare. Their influences rub off on each other. Celie learns to approach the situation more pragmatically while Rose finds herself getting attached to her newfound company. Unconditional love meets unwavering purpose with their respective strengths changing the other, making them more indistinguishable in the end.
Impressive performances from Judy Reyes and Marin Ireland bring out the unlikely pairing of Celie and Rose. Reyes’s approach to Celie’s grief shows a powerful understanding of the lengths mothers will go for their child. Her steely resolve makes Celie’s choice to stay alongside the woman who robbed her child from the grave not only understandable but laudable. Ireland crafts an intriguing vision of an obsessed scientist who has little comprehension for the humanity of others. Through blunt line delivery and an almost spectral approach to movement, Ireland embodies Rose as a woman lost to the madness within her mind. The subtle changes in both performances show the transformation of Celie and Rose into shedding their original concerns and sensibilities. Birth/Rebirth makes it clear that Lila’s rebuke of death isn’t the only transformation worth watching.
As the creeping implications of their experiment loom over the pair, the sluggish pacing of Birth/Rebirth begins to show. Piling up problem after problem after the pair’s quick and unlikely bond forms, the film struggles to maintain its atmosphere. Birth/Rebirth focuses on the pair’s individual ethics to juxtapose two different rationales for trying to “cure” death. Their competing interests only ever come to head once or twice, and they manage to find solutions to their problems rather quickly. The lack of suspense and mystery takes away from the power of the observations made in Birth/Rebirth.
Deliberate pacing, substantial character work, and an emotional wallop of a third act, Birth/Rebirth is an exceptional examination of grief. Ireland and Reyes make for a phenomenal pair giving credence to the macabre realities unfolding before their eyes. Pacing problems aside, Birth/Rebirth is an affecting tale of motherhood that forces viewers to re-examine their own relationship with life and death. If you have found yourself in a rut or otherwise want to bring your standards for moviegoing back to life, look no further than Birth/Rebirth.
Overall Score? 7/10
