Birth
It took Anna 10 years to recover from the death of her husband, Sean, but now she's on the verge of marrying her boyfriend, Joseph, and finally moving on. However, on the night of her engagement party, a young boy named Sean turns up, saying he is her dead husband reincarnated. At first she ignores the child, but his knowledge of her former husband's life is uncanny, leading her to believe that he might be telling the truth.
Working with a mid-range budget of $20.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $23.9M in global revenue (+20% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Birth (2004) exhibits strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Jonathan Glazer's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Anna
Young Sean
Joseph
Eleanor
Clara
Bob
Main Cast & Characters
Anna
Played by Nicole Kidman
A wealthy Upper East Side woman about to remarry who becomes obsessed with a 10-year-old boy claiming to be her deceased husband reincarnated.
Young Sean
Played by Cameron Bright
A mysterious 10-year-old boy who insists he is the reincarnation of Anna's dead husband Sean, knowing intimate details of their marriage.
Joseph
Played by Danny Huston
Anna's patient and devoted fiancé who watches helplessly as she becomes consumed by the boy's claims.
Eleanor
Played by Lauren Bacall
Anna's controlling, protective mother who is deeply disturbed by the situation and tries to maintain family dignity.
Clara
Played by Anne Heche
Sean's widow and Anna's former sister-in-law who holds painful secrets about Sean's past infidelity.
Bob
Played by Arliss Howard
Anna's brother and Clara's husband who tries to intervene and bring reason to the increasingly bizarre situation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Anna has moved on from her husband Sean's death ten years ago. She is engaged to Joseph and preparing for a new life, surrounded by her wealthy Manhattan family.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when A 10-year-old boy named Sean appears at Anna's apartment, claiming to be her dead husband reincarnated. He insists she cannot marry Joseph.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Anna chooses to actively engage with young Sean, meeting with him privately to understand how he knows intimate details of her marriage. She crosses into emotional territory she thought was closed., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Anna tells Joseph she cannot marry him, fully committing to her belief in the boy. This apparent "victory" for her conviction is actually a false defeat—she's losing herself to delusion., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 76 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Anna discovers the truth: the boy found letters from Sean's mistress and used them to fabricate his knowledge. Her belief dies. The fantasy that sustained her shatters completely., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Anna accepts the truth about Sean's infidelity and the boy's deception. She reconciles with Joseph, choosing to move forward with reality rather than fantasy, integrating her grief with acceptance., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Birth's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Birth against these established plot points, we can identify how Jonathan Glazer utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Birth within the drama genre.
Jonathan Glazer's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Jonathan Glazer films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Birth represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Jonathan Glazer filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Jonathan Glazer analyses, see The Zone of Interest, Under the Skin.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Anna has moved on from her husband Sean's death ten years ago. She is engaged to Joseph and preparing for a new life, surrounded by her wealthy Manhattan family.
Theme
Eleanor (Anna's mother) or family members discuss moving forward and letting go of the past, establishing the thematic question: Can we ever truly leave the dead behind?
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Anna's comfortable upper-class world, her engagement to Joseph, her close-knit family dynamics, and the lingering shadow of Sean's death a decade earlier.
Disruption
A 10-year-old boy named Sean appears at Anna's apartment, claiming to be her dead husband reincarnated. He insists she cannot marry Joseph.
Resistance
Anna and her family dismiss the boy as disturbed, but he persists. Anna debates whether to engage with his claims or ignore them. The boy demonstrates impossible knowledge about her past.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Anna chooses to actively engage with young Sean, meeting with him privately to understand how he knows intimate details of her marriage. She crosses into emotional territory she thought was closed.
Mirror World
Anna's relationship with the boy becomes a mirror to her unresolved grief. Young Sean represents the past she claims to have mourned, revealing what she truly needs: closure and permission to love again.
Premise
Anna becomes increasingly consumed by the possibility that the boy is truly Sean. She explores her feelings, meets with him secretly, and her conviction grows despite rational impossibility.
Midpoint
Anna tells Joseph she cannot marry him, fully committing to her belief in the boy. This apparent "victory" for her conviction is actually a false defeat—she's losing herself to delusion.
Opposition
Anna's family and Joseph fight to bring her back to reality. The boy's mother confronts Anna. Pressure mounts as Anna's grip on reason weakens and her world threatens to collapse entirely.
Collapse
Anna discovers the truth: the boy found letters from Sean's mistress and used them to fabricate his knowledge. Her belief dies. The fantasy that sustained her shatters completely.
Crisis
Anna processes the devastating revelation that Sean had been unfaithful, and that she has destroyed her engagement for a child's lie. She confronts the dark night of complete loss.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Anna accepts the truth about Sean's infidelity and the boy's deception. She reconciles with Joseph, choosing to move forward with reality rather than fantasy, integrating her grief with acceptance.
Synthesis
Anna marries Joseph. At the reception, she sees the boy one final time. The wedding proceeds, and Anna attempts to embrace her new life with the knowledge of who Sean truly was.
Transformation
At the opera after her wedding, Anna weeps uncontrollably. The final image reveals her transformation is incomplete—she has moved forward but remains haunted, forever changed by grief's intrusion.