Conventional Wisdom?

Reviews the film Birth, directed by Jonathan Glazer. Within the opening remarks of Jonathan Glazer's Birth the viewer is primed to witness the aftermath of the sudden unexplained death of a loved one. It is at this point the apparent theme of the movie, reincarnation, begins to surface. Birth is a seemingly eloquent portrayal of the various reactions one may experience when suddenly forced to cope with loss. Psychologically, Glazer depicts Anna as an individual caught in the grips of a pathological grief reaction, which apparently has come to exist through her purposeful avoidance of the physical and emotional reminders of her husband's death. As a result, Anna has denied herself the opportunity for the necessary grief work required for her recovery. Glazer's portrayal of Anna's reaction appears for most accounts accurate and in line with conventionally held assumptions regarding grief and loss. However, whether Glazer intended to or not, this film serves as an excellent example of the possible pitfalls of what has come to be known as "conventional wisdom," including certain emotional responses to the death of a loved one, the importance of grief and the importance of working through grief to resume a level of preloss adaptive functioning. Birth serves as a reminder to maintain an open mind in theory, as well as in practice, to alternate explanations in any area of life in which conventional wisdom is maintained unconditionally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)