Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘birth/rebirth’

11/27/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes as Rose and Celie in Laura Moss’ BIRTH/REBIRTH. (Photo Courtesy of Shudder. An IFC Release.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘birth/rebirth’.

One unfortunate fact about life that each and every one of us do not want to face, in some capacity or another, is that each and every one of us… are going to die. And we don’t want to face that… simply because… we fear death. We are utterly terrified of the prospect that our own life will come to a close, and we don’t know what lies beyond. Not to mention, it is difficult to reconcile that people we love are going to die and disappear from our lives, and we don’t know if we can handle the reality that there will come a day where we wake up and we can’t text them or see them. So, we put it all out of sight and out of mind and do our best to live and never deal with that reality, only to learn… we are going to face it whether we like it or not.

Sometimes the universe forces us to do so by having us endure a brush with our own mortality, or a loved one comes to close to the end… or outright dies. Forcing us to deal with it all, our worst fear really, and that is why mankind continues to do the absolute most… to ensure we don’t have to face death. By making medicine more effective, and the science to save lives more efficient, and there are even people working to outright end death through science. Giving future generations a chance at immortality. But should we be trying to engineer the death of death? Because while we hate it and fear it, it does teach us a great deal and has value to the world and for proof… well than look no further than a brand-new movie on Shudder. For birth/rebirth is a motion picture that explores why death is important, in the most unique manner possible.

For this is a story that introduces us to a mother named Celie who loses her daughter in a shocking manner, through meningitis, and while she is grieving, she comes to learn that something suspect happened to her daughter’s body. For it never arrived at the Medical Examiner’s office, and Rose, the pathologist at the hospital where they both work and where little Lila died, has been acting quite skittish. Which prompts Celie to force her way into Rose’s home, only to learn, her little girl is alive. For Rose decided Lila was the perfect test subject for something she’s been working on for a long time… a cure for death. And if Celie gives it time and is willing to pay the price, her little one will be back to normal in no time. But it is that price that puts Celie at quite the crossroads, for the cure requires fetal tissue to work and that means… Celie will have to cross some ethical lines at the hospital to cheat death and give her daughter a second chance at life.

Which at first glance, doesn’t seem to be a plot grounded in why death matters so much. Instead, it seems akin to a fresh re-telling of Frankenstein, and there is merit to that. Since Rose in many ways, is the new version of that good doctor and eager to use her genius to cheat death and progress the world into a new era, and there’s even iconography that reflects that original classic. Through various metal staples in flesh and even through Lila who is quite monstrous at times. But all of those elements are really designed to give the story a horror foundation that unsettles the viewer so the real exploration can get underway. Which is indeed about how death is important to all of humanity and why we shouldn’t try to cheat it.

Simply because… what we don’t often acknowledge about death, at least… until we’ve faced it and dealt with it and reconciled it… is that it is what gives life meaning. For our days are numbered from birth and that reality should drive us… to enjoy every single second we are here. Because we don’t know when our time is up, and we don’t want to leave this plane of existence with regret in our hearts over having not really lived. Not to mention, death teaches us to cherish life period, and to savor being able to share those precious moments with people that matter and well, if we removed that from our lives and if we lived forever… there’s a very good chance we will no longer value life or understand the gift of it we’ve been given. Which… could make us quite cruel in nature, as evidenced by how this film ends.

All of which makes… for a supremely bleak and powerful horror feature. One that genuinely shocks you in ways you never thought possible, courtesy of the fact that Rose and Celie come to not value life anymore and see only their goals in its stead, and that is what truly generates the terror in this film. Because they are shells of their former selves by the end, and their special brand of twistedness is brought to life by a pair of powerful performances from Marin Ireland (Rose) and Judy Reyes (Celie). Who sell the moral grayness of the story and hammer home the need… to cherish those precious seconds we never get back and celebrate the lives we do lose. For to do otherwise, puts us down a scary path from which there is no return, one full of fear and darkness and a coldness that rivals that of death itself.

Watch ‘birth/rebirth’

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