Customer Reviews

First Born (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

FIRST BORN is NOT a tale of the supernatural. If you want to hear more, I must warn you that much of the rest of this review could be considered a spoiler.

When you look at the box and read the description, it sounds for all the world like the film will be an old-school creepy horror movie. Haunted house kinda thing. It most emphatically is NOT.

This movie is an exploration of Post-Partum depression and Post-partum psychosis. It is told pretty much from the mother's (victim's) point of view and this makes it seem like a thriller or horror movie...because her perceptions are so whacked out. (It makes me a little sad to see some of the other reviews here talking about how frustrating a character Elizabeth Shue plays...the woman is suffering from a mental illness folks!)

From that regard, I suppose it is an unusual, and perhaps to a limited degree illuminating, movie. It is also VERY slowly paced, poorly cast and mostly unsatisfying. It is an hour-long episode of a cable TV show spread out over 90 minutes.

Years ago, Elizabeth Shue was nominated for an Oscar for LEAVING LAS VEGAS. Her work in that movie and just a few others WAS pretty good. But for the most part, she really isn't a good actress. Also, the script lets her down, because we never get to see her as a normal, nice person. She is moody and kinda unlikeable right from the start...so we aren't terribly invested in her story.

The other performers in the film are mostly dreadful. The British actor playing her husband is bland and the "faux Eastern European" actress playing the nanny is over the top...almost from a movie from the '30s or '40s.

The movie shows its low budget roots by having many scenes with supporting characters who don't speak. It's cheaper to pay an extra with no lines than a bit player with one line...so when Shue's character is giving birth...no one in the delivery room utters a line. I suppose some would argue that this contributes to understanding her feelings of isolation...but I found it unreasonably distracting.

It was a mildly interesting film...but not what we were expecting. If you want a straight exploration of one woman's unsettling descent into madness...you might like it okay. For me, I just sort of endured it so I could see what happened at the end. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

First Born is not your average scary, horror/thriller movie. It breaks from most movies of its genre in this way. The movie is very psychological in nature. The viewer sees things the way that one would imagine the main character is experiencing them. Everything is played out as being very real and not figments of one's imagination. At times, you can even feel the mother's scaredness. Other reviews have mentioned that the mother suffered from postpartum depression; however, in my opinion, a more accurate diagnosis would be postpartum psychosis as it appeared that she was more delusional than depressed.
The storyline had some holes in it (as do many movies of its genre),and the average thriller movie viewer might find it boring. Shortcomings aside, if you want a movie that makes you think and left wondering long after the end credits, then this is the movie for you.

I rented this movie last nite. I won't go over all the details, because they've been beautifully commented in most of the other reviews. But, I ended up rewinding the last 5 minutes of the movie again, because the ending was unbelievably sad and realistic. It does its job to make the point clear, that mothers of newborns, really need to be watched and paid attention to. I think we all get too caught up with the stress of everyday life that we forget about the obvious signs of depression or worse. I think the most interesting part was that when she went into the baby's room at the last scene, she didn't even seem to "see" the baby. Her attention was sharply focused on the doll and the mistakes she made with it (leaving it on the lawn, in the pool, etc.). Unfortunately doll and baby had blended into each other. The awful mistakes she made with the baby (i.e., locked in the basement with baby upstairs helpless, leaving baby in carseat in car) were not separated anymore. Maybe in her mind, trying to dance again, was her mind's way of telling her to start over. Very sad, very depressing, but I guess it needed to be said. Elizabeth Shue proves again and again that she is a good actress. The actor who was her husband was not a believable match. There was nothing attractive about him. Not only his looks, but the very idea she'd be married to this kind of zero-personality snob, is a stretch. But.....it may be what the director wanted people to notice?

The story is about a married couple that finds out the wife is pregnant. They move to a beautiful, spacious house away from the city. Things are going well, they are prepared for the baby to arrive. I thought it would be a great movie, however, it just seemed to drag. There were subtle hints of something, but I was unable to determine what. For example, the lady leaving the doll in the subway and the main character picking it up...I asked WHY? The dog, the mice, the weird nanny. It would have been a great movie but I just could not connect the dots. I was riveted to the screen, trying to figure out the why's, what's, who's. I never really felt like we got answers, even to the end.

I thought the ending was terrible. The story sort of led you to believe all this was a result of black magic, but I think maybe it was all about post-partum depression???

It will definitely have you guessing - even after the credits have rolled. Thumbs down.

EDIT: I have been thinking more about this movie and I may have more answers regarding questions and concerns I raised above. Warning: the following comment WILL contain spoilers. If you don't want to see it, I suggest you scroll away from this review.

**SPOILER**
The main character is a dancer who finds out she is pregnant. They move away from the city, away from her former life and work. On a deeper level maybe away from the instant approval of an audience clapping, saying good job?

She rides the subway and sees a woman with a baby. She looks away, looks back, and the woman is gone. But the lady leaves the baby. Oh no! How could a mom do that? Do moms do that? She gets up to retreive the child. Only the child is not real, it's a doll. Whew.

She 'rescues' the doll, but I now wonder if she did so to practice? Like to say 'I'd never leave my baby' and will prove it by taking care of it.

I think the start of her breakdown was when their dog died. She had purchased rat poison to kill mice that is around the house. The dog was making too much noise while she was on the telephone so she put it in the basement. Dog got in the room with the poison and, well you know the rest.

While visiting the makeshift grave located in their yard, she spots the doll. The dog, liking to snatch anything, had taken it away and placed it in a spot away from the house. Seeing the doll, she goes and rescues it. While climbing out of the rocky area, her water breaks and she rushes to the hospital. Apparently there were complications and the result was her needing to have a CSection. I don't think this sat well with her because earlier she had expressed an interest in having a natural birth - no drugs. The surgery nixed that plan. One scene had her on the hospital table, attempting to look at what they were doing. Someone - possibly her other 'self' pulled her head back. I think this was a way to totally disconnect from the baby.

So with the dog dying (to which she felt responsible) to the CSection, I think she pretty much snapped. She doubted her ability as a mother, noone would listen to her about her fears and concerns and she pretty much split into two. Real became imaginary and imaginary became real to her.

She also seemed to have a compulsive personality. She purchased multiple pregnacy tests on one occasion, rat poison and hair dye. She was also rather forgetful.

But darn it that doll just kept coming back, appearing in the yard, on the dresser. Was it taunting her? Mocking her? An instrument of witchcraft? Well she was going to do something about that, once and for all!

The ending was a shocker and really shines a light on mental illness and post partum depression.

First Born was not what I expected, and did not have in it many things i was led to expect, and yet I sat and watched the entire film, riveted. It draws you in slowly because you really aren't sure what is happening, or why. By the time you realize what the movie is really about its too late to back away. The ending will shock you, and leave you wondering. I found it a true portrayal of an affliction many women suffer from.

Laura is a a ballet dancer whose pregnancy leaves her suffering anxiety and depression. After a move to the countryside, Laura's isolation grows. Soon she begins to imagine things- a stranger breaking into her home, a suspiciously nanny. Are these incidents part of a darker conspiracy or a just a coincidance?

I actually liked this film. I prefer horror movies where things are left unsaid and the writer's don't resort to blood and gore to get their point across. Whether real-or imagined- Laura's story gripped me from start to finish and leaves you guessing to the end.

Unlike all but one of the previous reviewers, I went into this movie not expecting horror but post partem depression in it's extremest form. For this reason, I was very much drawn into the movie and found it disturbing almost from the start. Thankfully I never experienced anything but the most minor "baby blues" but this really makes one think about how debilitating it can be if gone unnoticed and untreated. From the beginning you can see "signs" of indecision in Laura when she buys multiples of everything instead of just making one choice - pregnancy tests, mice traps, hair color. She goes from living a city life to one of relative isolation in the country. Her husband is gone much of the time. I could almost feel her isolation and thought that Elisabeth Shue performed wonderfully in this part. I found it thought-provoking and an eye-opener. If only the people around Laura had known more about the condition perhaps something could have been done. The ending was not unexpected but heartbreaking nonetheless.

Great attempt at trying tackle a sensitive topic, however it failed miserably. For an hour and half long movie, it drained the life out of me. I do appreciate a good cerebral thriller, this is not it. I'm surprised at the number of positive reviews, because the best acting performance was a toss up between the baby and dog.

You can't rent this movie, so don't bother buying it. I would sell my digital copy to you if I could.

First of all, let me mention an EXTREMELY important note. If you're a mother expecting a baby, or a mother who's already had a baby, DO NOT WATCH FIRST BORN!!!!!

Seriously, I'm a guy and this movie had MY emotional state of mind up in a frenzy. I can only imagine such a cruel and twisted storyline would have an even bigger impact on a mother.

It's about a mother who does nothing but walks around the house all day having hallucinations and anxiety attacks (usually in the darkest areas of the house, perhaps in an attempt to make the suspense factor more believable). She strongly believes something terrible is going to happen to either her baby or herself. To name one example, she believes the babysitter is trying to kill her baby with a knife. There's several more examples I could name but I don't want to ruin all the surprises.

It even gets to the point that the police have to come out and check on her because of the many outrageous claims she makes. It might be simple to believe she's just an overprotective mother and in a few segments, the storyline sure seems to lead one to believe this is the case, however the more the storyline unfolds the more you start believing there's actually something seriously and emotionally wrong with the mother.

Another aspect that seems to go by without notice is that, since the mother spends so much time alone with her baby, that would eventually make *anyone* a little secluded, nervous and jumpy. However it's clear this is just a tiny aspect to a much bigger problem concerning this woman.

Now I don't know about anyone else, but I was constantly wondering why the father could never be home with the baby despite knowing full well that his wife is not going through the best of times to say the least. I even remember a segment where the wife/mother even SAYS that her husband is planning to take some time off from work to take care of the baby. However it never happens.

One thing I never quite understood is the mother's relationship with the cashier lady at the downtown supermarket. Supposedly the mother moved into a house where the previous owner left a diary that she wanted to return, and the cashier lady knew this girl (they were friends) but nothing noteworthy ever came out of these segments. We never met the girl, or why she left (though I suppose it's up to interpretation how or why the girl left that house- the look on the face of the cashier lady seems to indicate she didn't leave under the most pleasant of circumstances).

So what might lead viewers into thinking we're dealing with a storyline concerning an overprotective or unfit mother soon tells a much different and ultimately *very* disturbing plotline. Again, it needs to be mentioned that no mother with a newborn baby should EVER -under any circumstances- watch First Born. You might find yourself in the same kind of situation (though hopefully significantly less drastic than what this actress portrays).

This movie was incredibly disappointing. I bought it, I watched it & now I'm putting it in the next garage sale! I predicted the ending, but silently shook my head 'no' hoping I was wrong as it unfolded. I would never recommend this disturbing movie to a pregnant woman or first time mother...or anyone. I'm sure it was an excellent portrayal of severe post-partum depression, but I was expecting at the very least a better plot & ending.