A very impressive feature directorial debut from Laura Moss, who also co-wrote the script with Brendan J. O'Brien, Birth/Rebirth is a difficult watch, but one that uses a famous horror archetype to explore parenthood, pain, and grief.
Marin Ireland plays a doctor, Rose. She's a hospital pathologist who doesn't really interact well with others. She tends to stay focused on the bodies around her, and has a fascination with the biological process of pregnancy and childbirth, although dislikes the standard required conditions that usually lead to that. Judy Reyes is a maternity nurse named Celie, a woman thrown into a state of grief when her young daughter ends up dying. Things get worse when the body disappears, which leads Celie to the home of Rose, and the two start working together on a plan that Rose has to show that death doesn't need to be the end.
First things first, both Ireland and Reyes are excellent here. The former is definitely giving off an Angela Bettis/May vibe, but does it brilliantly, and shows a lot of frustration whenever it looks like things are about to go outwith her control. The latter is dropped into a situation that leads to strongly conflictiing emotions, but her parental urge is the main driving force allowing her to grit her teeth and do some unpleasant things that may help her daughter. A. J. Lister plays Lila, and she's very good in a role that requires some interesting physical work, and both Breeda Wool and Grant Harrison give excellent supporting turns, with Wool really put through some tough times, to put it mildly, as she becomes the third side of a triangle that she doesn't realise has been assembled.
The script is interestingly blunt throughout. There are no moments of philosophical poetry here, and Rose knows that there isn't much point in trying to reframe what she's trying to do. This is all about biology, for better or worse (exemplified in a scene that shows Rose getting a "semen sample" in an encounter with a fellow bar patron), and that's why things only become more complicated when Celie brings her emotion to the situation.
Moss has a good sense of discretion for what to show and what to imply, and her direction keeps things on just the right side of bearable, despite the difficult subject matter. This cannot be straightforward entertainment, not with the weight of the decisions being made and the morality being explored, but having the two leads forced to get along like unwilling co-parents means that Moss can look at things from different angles while also building up a real feeling of dread and horror on the way to a disturbing final act.
Really good stuff, the kind of film that makes you look forward to what everyone may do next (whether in front of, or behind, the camera), Birth/Rebirth has extremes of dark and light, as does every journey from birth to death, and treats some potentially schlocky material in a way that gives it some real weight and impact.
8/10
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