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First Born (2007) More at IMDb Pro »

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43 out of 57 people found the following comment useful :-
Gripping right until the end, Then, truly disappointing!, 2 January 2007
4/10
Author: Rick76uk from United Kingdom

This must be one of Shue's worst yet, While watching the film I was intrigued by the sheer mystery of the film.

I had no idea or could have guessed what the outcome would be...

And then a truly awful ending which ruined what originally had me gripped.

I only voted four because of my original impression of the film(before Isaw the end) Avoid at all costs!!!!!

Story outline - A dancer (shue) finds she is pregnant, her husband , an up and coming businessman moves them out to a big house to raise their child away from the city, While battling her own depression the lonely house starts to eat away at her , causing a large amount of paranoia, or is it?

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35 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
Waste of Time....Watch Something Else, 20 March 2007
1/10
Author: Movie Man from Theater Room

This movie was one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. I was very disappointed, I love Psychological thrillers, but this was far from that. Although Shue did a decent job in the movie, it couldn't save the fact that it was a horribly written movie. The story literally went nowhere, leaving me frustrated and annoyed. Many questions were never answered, and the character development was almost non-existent.

In the future I will think twice before ever seeing another Isaac Webb movie.

VERY DISAPPOINTING MOVIE

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME

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36 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-
a great movie about nothing, 20 March 2007
4/10
Author: jojomujux from Romania

This one was a great movie about nothing, and I mean really nothing. From the beginning till' the end, everything happens has nothing to do with reality(or fiction) and common sense, not even touching common sense. However, I might add that from the "directoral" point of view it is a great achievement to create that much suspense without practically having a story. In the end, I do not regret watching it(we all need to see all kinds of movies to create a real and correct hierarchy in our minds) but I would not recommend it to any of my friends... I hope I didn't offend anyone who reads this, and I apologize for my English. Thank you.

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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Solid., 7 April 2007
Author: Cooper75 from U.K.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Laura, a New York City based dancer (Shue) falls pregnant and relocates with her husband to an isolated house in the country. After the child is born, a series of mysterious events conspire to test her abilities as a new mother.

I first heard about this movie around 12 months ago when I happened across an article on the Fox news website. The author had caught a screening of First Born by chance and had raved over the movie, comparing it to 'The Others' and tipping the director Isaac Webb as a name to watch. So here we are 12 months down the line and First Born arrives direct to DVD, which usually is not a good sign. Remembering the article and the positive comments I decided to take a look for myself.

First Born was very good indeed, and after the movie ended I was left stunned for several reasons. Stunned at Shue's amazing performance. Stunned at the sheer horror of the ending. And stunned that First Look dumped this out with the WORST (and most misleading) cover art in the history of the medium. I mean, come on, upside down crosses?!! What Isaac Webb has created (and I'm heading into major spoiler territory here) is a very deliberately paced, intense, and upsetting journey into one woman's descent into madness. Or, more specifically, Postpartum Psychosis.

From reading comments here and on other sites, it appears the general consensus is that viewers have been disappointed by the lack of explanation for certain occurrences in the movie, and the fact that we are given a denouement rooted in 'reality' as opposed to a supernatural explanation. Personally, I blame the marketing. This is a film that is hamstrung by it's awful cover art, attracting viewers expecting a pulpy 'Omen' style horror who then find themselves watching a slow - burn character study / psychological thriller.

This is a movie that demands patience from the viewer. Some have criticized it's lack of answers to certain questions raised, but to my eye the answers are all there. This is a story played out entirely through the eyes of it's protagonist, and viewed in that respect it DOES make sense. We are seeing events from the perspective of a very disturbed mind.

It must be said that Shue is very, VERY good in this role. She sold every aspect of Laura's freefall into madness and was believable at every turn. I usually find her acting style too forced, somewhat 'look at me, I'M ACTING!!', but in this she WAS the character, no question.

I find it strange that some people have accused this movie of being basically a piece of crap with no redeeming features. Obviously everybody is entitled to an opinion, and it wouldn't do if we all thought the same, but to my mind this was WAY better than most direct to DVD stuff. There seemed to be real artistry involved here, from the directing, the performances and even the fantastic score by John Frizzell. Also the ending, though certainly predictable, was both brave and horrifying - qualifying as one of the most downbeat I have seen in quite a while. That in itself sets First Born apart from most theatrical movies, never mind DVD premieres.

If you like a well acted, well directed psychological thriller then look no further. Just don't go expecting a supernatural Satan baby horror, or some such. Those upside down crosses have a lot to answer for.

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19 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Gem of a psychological thriller, 29 March 2007
8/10
Author: Ken Spiker (celr@mcn.org) from Fort Bragg, CA

First Born is the exploration of the inner world of a woman suffering a postpartum psychosis. This "Yellow Wallpaper" story is definitely not a Lifetime Network sort of film--it's much darker and scarier. It's downright creepy in a very subtle and artful way. After all the gore and explosions of today's thriller genre it's refreshing to see something so subdued and inward while maintaining a such a high level of suspense and desperation.

Elizabeth Shue is a dancer (and yes, she really looks like a dancer) who is stuck in a huge spacious and mostly empty house in the suburbs while her rich, emotionally disengaged husband works in the city and comes home late at night, leaving her with her newborn. Already a bit obsessive-compulsive, she begins to crack up in a serious way. What follows is rendered with impeccable attention to detail and maximum emotional impact. It is a psychological study but at the same time beautifully rendered visually. "First Born" has no didactic ax to grind, no social message, no deus ex machina in the form of social workers or therapists; it's just a fun scary story for intelligent moviegoers.

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40 out of 67 people found the following comment useful :-
Shue really has a torn soul., 1 January 2007
8/10
Author: mbj123-1 from United States

Elisabeth Shue plays a dancer whose career is suddenly put hold when she becomes pregnant and upon delivery of the baby via cesarean section, things take a turn to a somewhat dark and often disorienting turn.

Shue's performance in First Born is fabulous and the ending was a twist that was somewhat expected, but still a bit of a shock. The camera is following Laura throughout the movie. we see only her perspective of how things play out which by the end, leaves you with many unanswered questions.

Overall, a very good film.

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32 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
A movie actually worse than Wickerman................, 23 March 2007
1/10
Author: tboothone from United States

Elisabeth Shue's voice mail:

"Hey Elisabeth, this is Nick. Remember when we made "Leaving Las Vegas", and we promised each other that we'd each try and make the worst film ever just for kicks? Well I just did an incredibly awful remake of "Wickerman"! So you're up...."

Nicolas Cage's voice mail:

"Hey it's me, two words - First Born! I win, you loser!"

Something has gone wrong, horribly wrong with movies lately. I can't even stay awake sometimes for the ending. The problem here is I really do like both Cage and Shue but the scripts and supporting cast that they got on these movies was awful. As far as First Born goes there is not one thing RIGHT with the movie. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WATCHING THIS. I suffer so you don't have to.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Gripping..., 19 August 2007
8/10
Author: g404c

I caught First Born on LMN last night. Elisabeth Shue is Laura, a dancer living in New York with her husband, Steven (Steven Mackintosh), a wealthy businessman. When Laura learns she is pregnant, Steven pushes for them to move out of the city to an isolated, gargantuan mansion in the distant suburbs. Once they move in, Steven continues to work in the city, and Laura is left alone in the new home during the day. Not long after settling in, Laura begins experiencing strange occurrences, and she becomes increasingly frightened. Things take a turn for the worse once she gives birth.

This gripping mystery premiered on LMN yesterday, and I enjoyed it very much. Most of the movie keeps the viewer guessing, and the locations only add to the creepy, dark atmosphere. Shue looks great, and plays her part convincingly. Worth a look if you happen upon it.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Post Partum to the 10th power!!, 19 August 2007
7/10
Author: MarLeigh Montalvo from Asheville, NC

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I don't understand why everyone is complaining. This film set out to creep you out, and it succeeds at that. It's a sad tale of self loathing actually, where a woman knows she is not up to taking care of a baby, especially by herself, but can't seem to ask for help, or when she does, she is dismissed as being overprotective or overreacting. Typical. The mood of the film is dark as is the beautiful house that it takes place in. And the feeling is one of isolation both physically and emotionally. This woman is on her own. Her own mother didn't come to visit because "she hates to fly". Well get a Greyhound ticket and come over. You don't stay away when your child has their first child. With that and a busy husband, you get the sense of this woman's struggle of feeling unfit, wanting to be a good mother but unable to because she can't sleep, she can't eat and when she does try to have a normal existence, she locks herself in the basement and can't feed her newborn baby. She can't even color her hair, something that women do everyday without mishap, but she can't seem to do it. The movie was great. Watch it at night by yourself. Elizabeth Shue's performance is gut-wrenching.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Postpartum Psychosis or Madness?, 13 December 2007
6/10
Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When the dancer Laura (Elizabeth Shue) feels sick after a presentation, she finds that she is pregnant. Her husband and successful executive Steven (Steven Mackintosh) decides to buy a huge house in the suburb to raise their baby daughter Jessica in an adequate environment. Laura changes her lifestyle, feels nervous alone with the rats in the house and accidentally kills their dog with poison. Later Steven hires Mrs. Kasperian (Kathleen Chalfant) to help Laura in the housework and with the baby, but Laura believes the old woman wishes to harm Jessica using witchcraft. Laura has a breakdown, and when she recovers, her mother moves to her house to help her with the baby. During the night, Laura decides to get rid off a doll she found in the house changing their lives forever.

"First Born" is a weird and disturbing movie, and talking to some friends of mine I noted that this is the type of film extremely unpleasant for women. The beautiful Elizabeth Shue is thinner and has a good performance, but her character is not well developed, therefore it is not possible to know whether she is a mother with postpartum psychosis or simply a mad woman. I liked this film, but I do not dare to recommend it especially for potential mothers. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Filha das Sombras" ("Daughter of the Darkness")

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