Birth, British director Jonathan Glazer's follow up to Sexy Beast, not only made headlines at this year's Venice Film Festival because of its controversial, morally ambivalent story content, but also due to the fact that its leading star, Nicole Kidman, was laughed off as a screen legend by the film's fellow thespian, Lauren Bacall, at a press conference.

The film's premise is simultaneously rather disturbing and laughable. A 10 year old boy walks into Anna's (Nicole Kidman) apartment during her mother's birthday party and abruptly announces himself as Sean, Anna's deceased husband. Inevitably they think Sean is an oddball kid who is probably playing a bizarre hoax.

Sean is relentless in his pursuit of Anna and his desire to destroy Anna's recent engagement to Joseph (Danny Huston.) Anna gradually believes Sean and develops a peculiar relationship that causes rifts between her and her family. Does Sean have serious psychological problems or is he actually telling the truth?

The most impressive aspect of the picture is the truly remarkable acting talent of display. Cameron Bright is spookily effective. Although he has few lines he delivers them with an aura of menace and eeriness through his sturdy performance. Pay considerable attention to his stern frown and you would think he has almost supernatural qualities. Yet he is subtle and sophisticated with a darkly unsettling ambience that surrounds him.

Nicole Kidman too shows her unmatchable thespian skills with considerable aplomb. She descends from confusion to frustration and then to despair as she is torn apart by her belief that Sean is her reincarnated husband.

The relationship which develops between Sean and Anna as a result of his claims has sparked considerable scorn from hothead critics who claim it is unscrupulous, sick and deeply disturbing. In particular the scene where Sean joins Anna in the bathtub, when placed out of the film's context, is indeed a perverse situation - but in this instance it is necessary for the plot to move forward and for Anna to understand what is actually happening to her.

The film has an atmosphere of an art house film coated in glossy Hollywood paint. Glazer has created a stylish, sombre film with Hitchcockian overtones and situations. This is at its most effective in the scene set in a concert hall where the camera is firmly fixed on Anna's gaze for several moments as she considers the reality and ramifications of Sean's claim. We gain an uncomfortable insight into her mind and explore her unsettled thoughts.

Despite such claims to the contrary, Birth never overcrosses the mark and becomes a perverted flick about a pedophilic woman and a kid. Anna offers Sean the chance to run away and wait until he is 21 - there is nothing sexual between them as the story is an exploration of their perplexed mental states.

Birth is a finely-crafted film made with delicacy, a sense of pace and thought that is an odd but interesting piece of contemporary Hollywood cinema.

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