Where to watch: VOD (iTunes, Prime Video)

English Audio Description: yes

AD Provider: Audio Eyes

There’s a rich history of cinematic tribute to Mary Shelley’s seminal horror creation Frankenstein. Hammer’s gothic-tinged Frankenstein (1957), Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990), Young Frankenstein (1974), and so many more.

In 2023 we get Birth/Rebirth, a dark, unflinching, modern rendering of the famous tale. The story follows two very different characters: a hard-working nurse and loving mother, contrasted with a dispassionate, driven doctor, both laboring in the same hospital, but clearly worlds apart. Tragedy brings them together in an uneasy alliance forged by their mutual desire to corral and control the mysteries of death.

The film is skillful at presenting this gruesome tale while not passing judgment, and the clinical body horror element will please subgenre aficionados. There is also an understated streak of quiet absurdist humor as the story unfolds, deftly woven into this grisly tale of ethics and heartbreak. I did come away from the film feeling like the director held back just a bit where further exploration of these uncomfortable themes may have lent the story a deeper emotional impact.

The audio description script is spare but effective, and The subtly emotive AD narration is well matched to the generally quiet story.

Film Grade: A Minus

Audio Description Grade: B