A weird guy finds himself in a very weird situation at a birthday party: family troubles, partyboys, and a dangerous cult in Eugenio Mira’s 2004 strange film The Birthday, coming March 17th to 4K UHD and Blu-Ray via Arrow Video.
Note before we start: The Birthday was intended for release in 2004, but due to various issues, it’s only been available in Spain and Germany since then. So while it’s technically 2004, for Region A/1, it’s effectively a new release.
The Film
Norman Forrester, played by Corey Feldman, is already on edge. He’s the sort of oddball who tries to fit into various groups but doesn’t quite melt sitting on the outside of things, desperately wanting to impress and mesh. The group he’s trying to please tonight: his girlfriend Alison’s family, a powerful set of upper-class businesspeople. She’s acting weird, he’s already weird, and everyone is just being a brick wall of information as he also finds out his college buddies are having a party upstairs and want him to join them, and he doesn’t know what to do. Oh, yes, let’s not forget the cult that is also planning some sort of event for this night. Eugenio Mira’s The Birthday follows this strange night in an ambitious but not quite there exercise in wild horror, dark comedy, and careening energy.
To the film’s credit, it never slows over the real-time 117 minutes as Norman is pushed from situation to situation, group to group, always over his head amid the madness around the hotel. And it’s pure madness, no matter where he is, whether it be trying to figure himself into the family matters, the debauchery of the friend group upstairs, or the utter weirdness of the cult plot and the layers that hold. He’s stuck in a Kafka-esque maze of unknowable truths, where everyone seems ot be acting obtuse, whether on purpose or just obliviously. It’s funny, offbeat, and weird, with a sort of sizzling energy of oddity. However, with all the setup, it takes a while to really move forward. For most of the film, whenever it seems like the shoe is going to drop, The Birthday careens off somewhere else to hang for a bit, waiting for something we just saw to have the payoff.
Unfortunately, we’re hanging with a trying-too-hard Corey Feldman for that whole time. He was one of the driving forces for the film, and I get that. He’s not slumming at all, digging into the character. But, for some reason, Feldman decides to do a Sandler-like squeaky voice, and over quirks, which grates and takes out. But to his service, he’s literally in every shot of the film, even if just the edge of his foot; and it is him, no stand-in. The other performances are solid, rocking the oddness in adept ways. The best is character actor Jack Taylor, of Pieces and many other genre flicks, as Alison’s father. Alison herself is Erica Prior, and she’s engaging.
The setting of the rundown hotel is magnificent. Built from an abandoned hospital, it’s gorgeous with the faded Art Deco. It’s quite the sight to behold. From a production design standpoint, it’s wonderful and rich. Shots could be straight from David Lynch with the composition, lighting, and tone. Each choice in the setup is very deliberate. Mira went on to make Grand Piano and Veronica, two intricately designed films, and you can see that shine through in how he puts The Birthday together. That design continues, everyone is done up with fantastic costumes and hair, purposefully a few levels up on reality. The lighting choices heighten that off-putting with a darkness just outside the onscreen lights. Not in the infuriating “light just stops” way, but in a form that creates the atmosphere, a theatricality.
The Birthday is a film that doesn’t quite come together, but I highly appreciate the ambition and strong go at it. Ambition and messiness are always better than a half-hearted attempt (as I often write, most recently in The Bride last week). It’s obvious how much care and desire went into the film. I applaud. But on the flip, as much as Norman is lost, the viewer also is, but feels like we should know so not the “big question of it” but just not well told enough. Mira also wears his influences on his sleeve. It becomes a distracting “spot the influence” over-focusing on the film itself, whether it be the obvious nods at David Lynch, The Shining, Barton Fink, or even more subtly, Jurassic Park.
The Birthday is an interesting experiment in the filmmaking of Eugenio Miro, a solid if flawed first film that sets up for much more contained efforts later. I appreciate the design and what it’s going for, even if not quite there.
The Package
Arrow Video brings The Birthday to 4k UHD or Blu-Ray in a single disc (this is a “one or the other” release). The disc features a close-up on the cover-art. It’s housed in the specific case of the choice with a reversible sleeve that has two artwork options. There is an o-sleeve with one of the art options. A booklet is included (see below).
The Presentation
The 4k release, and I assume the Blu-ray, looks crisp and sharp. The film is a visual wonder, and that shines through the visual production. As does the sound, via the 5.1, the nature of the feature has sound coming from all over, overlapping and disrupting trains of thought. These sound work as expected, not blurring and losing anything within all the din. Subtitles are in English.
The Features
All features are new to this release.
Commentary
Corey Feldman and Eugenio Mira offer a very insightful commentary on making the film on a tiny budget and under trying conditions. However flawed the film might be, the ambition in making it come together is commendable. I’m honestly impressed, especially with turning an abandoned Spanish hospital into the wonderful sets. Mira talks about his influences (as noted in the film), and Feldman talks about the whys of the character. I get it, even if he’s still annoying to follow. A good talk that made me appreciate the film more.
Shape of a Miracle
Eugenia Mira expands on commentary with ideas of his past and influences, career, building the film from nothing, how he did it, and the 20 years since. (17m)
Pathology
A wonderful collection of the how-tos of putting it together, focusing on a specific scene with a breakdown of the components with behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, interviews, and rushes (17m)
Q and A from Fantastic Fest in 2024
For some reason, Feldman does the Q&A as his character, disrupting anything interesting Mira has to say; I would have loved to hear his answers more fully. (10M)
Original trailer
Boy, this was long as 3m29s. It’s fuzzy in visuals and in what it’s trying to say.
20th Anniversary release trailer.
At 2 minutes, clearing in visuals and being a trailer.
Booklet
A bound 30-page booklet with cast & crew, film stills, and an appreciative essay “It’s My Party, and You Can Scream If You Want To” by Bryan Reesman.
Final Notes
The Birthday is an interesting film. It looks amazing, both in transfer and within the film, and the sound design. The strange journey of the film’s story is compelling if a little long and unfocused. But I appreciate the sheer effort, and I always dig something incredibly weird. I recommend it for those who dig something strange and ambitious. Check it out. The Birthday comes ot 4k UHD and Blu-ray from Arrow Video on March 17th.