WHEN her beloved husband Sean drops dead while out jogging, Anna (Nicole Kidman) is inconsolable.

Ten years later, as the not-so-merry widow starts to get on with her life, a freaky 10-year-old boy, also called Sean, (Cameron Bright) claims to be the reincarnation of her dead spouse.

It's an interesting concept for a film but when Anna starts believing the slightly evil-looking sprog's tales and their relationship develops into something entirely inappropriate for a grown woman and child to be sharing, many viewers may find Birth a little tasteless.

While I didn't doubt for one moment that Anna truly wants to believe this snot-nosed brat is the reincarnated spirit of her husband, I also didn't wish to see a grown woman and little boy share a bath or a lingering kiss.

This film is peculiar from beginning to end and we never really feel any warmth towards the main characters.

Birth was booed at a European film festival for what some critics felt was its paedophilic content. While it does not perhaps go to those extremes, this portrayal of the adult and child's relationship is not an easy thing to watch, much less enjoy.

HC