BT1886

The Trouble with Being Born

"You smell like cigarettes and sunscreen." Going into this blind I had no idea there was such a degree of controversy surrounding Sandra Wollner's (https://boxd.it/sEc5) audacious science fiction feature when it initially premiered during the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020. Following several outraged reviewers citing the film normalized sexual behavior towards children, the Melbourne International Film Festival decided to pull the film out from roster which was denounced by several critics. Having seen so many films in my life, it is quite strange how warped and hyperbolic the perception this film garnered during its release. From what I can tell, and from what I have read, the film was shot in a way that made sure the child actor never had to do anything that may be uncomfortable for them, so at the very least the film is not morally bankrupt in that regard. The Trouble with Being Born (https://boxd.it/oJtE) is by no means an easy to watch film. From its unnerving direction to its transgressive narrative and its methodical pacing, the film makes for one of the more uncomfortable movies I have seen in a long time. The film is broken up into two parts, one section focusing on the perversion of technology and the other on the tender reliance on it. Both parts touch on grief, loss, and an inevitable understanding of their effects - albeit, with wildly differing subtexts. There's a theme of confronting trauma from both the abused and the abuser, and the relevance of said trauma reaching through generations. The biggest thing the community has latched on to is its allusion to pedophilia, rightfully so as its the more discomforting theme in the film. Director Sandra Wollner never condones this action, as some reviews may have you believe, rather vehemently condemns it by having the camera simply observe, unobstructed. Nothing is ever explicitly shown, but the implication is clearly there - you are meant to feel disgusted, anxious, and everything in between. Being a science fiction film about artificial intelligence The Trouble with Being Born touches on the idea of what it means to be alive - to be truly human. There is a reliance on memories, both traumatic and nostalgic and how technology used to keep those moments alive twist those around them, forcing them to hold on and never wanting to let go. Never coming to terms with the past. Having these moments define the type of person they are, for better or worse.