User reviews

Hey, you still have the Manifesto? The what? The Manifesto, man. Don't tell me you threw it away.

"Rebirth" is a psychological thriller of the Netflix collection. I certainly won't deny that I have become a fervent supporter of the Netflix Originals series. I've seen already some great movies ("Spectral", "iBoy", "Before I Wake" and "Message from the king"). And also some less successful experiments ("Mute" and "Death note" eg). "Rebirth" is a special case and ends somewhere in the middle. In essence, it's not such a bad movie, but there were certain aspects that made me really hate it. Some will even find it an annoying film. I still don't know whether I should take this film seriously or not. If it was meant to be serious and tried to create an image of how similar organizations function, then it was rather frightening. If, however, it was meant to be satirical, I guess I haven't noticed it then. For me it wasn't really funny.

For Kyle (Fran "The Living" Kranz) every day is a duplicate of the previous day. He can be seen as a settled and satisfied model citizen who carries out his day-to-day job. This seemingly carefree existence is thoroughly shaken up the day his crazy, hyper-kinetic ex-school friend Zack (Adam "Once upon a time in Venice" Goldberg) turns up in Kyle's office and reminds him that they once wrote down a promise. A "Manifesto" with one important slogan : "Don't be boring". And that's something Kyle, after agreeing to go to some bizarre reorientation weekend, is told several times. Unfortunately, "Rebirth" turned out to be somewhat boring with a disappointing final piece.

Fran Kranz convincingly plays the confused and panicky Kyle, who sees his smooth going civilian life reduced to a chaotic, uncontrollable nightmare. It's obvious the propagated message of the "Rebirth" program is all about self-control. "Rebirth" is about getting a grip on yourself and not apathetically following the course of the system (as zombies). According to Zack, it's all about rediscovering yourself and start loving life back again. The only thing Kyle seems to experience is that it's an insane and degrading program. The fact that Zack looks as if he has eaten too many psychedelic mushrooms, doesn't seem to help him either.

To be honest, the film really got on my nerves at certain moments. For example, there is the dazzlingly handsome Naomi (Nicky Whelan) who has the annoying habit of answering every question with a question. It was driving me crazy. The exaggerated group events also felt like a sort of mass hysteria. And it became a bit too predictable when Kyle ended up in a pillow-filled room with a couple lovely, very tasty looking women whose sex lives are clearly as exhilarating as watching a chess game. It looked like a hippie commune. It also felt rather surreal and unearthly.

As I said before, specially the end is disappointing. Initially, you see an organization trying to recruit members by means of brainwashing and psychological pressure. I admit it was intriguing. But in the end it felt incomplete. Perhaps also due to the lack of any explanation. Initially, "Rebirth" looked like a sort of sect, full of esoteric ideas and dogmas, with the aim of allowing the participants to experience a rebirth in which all connections with their inculcating, self-centered living environment are cut. It wants to hold an imaginary mirror up to them and show that the participants are living in an artificial world controlled by others. That they are puppets in a social puppet theater where others pull the strings. Or also, an artificial bubble that you don't want to pierce because of the comfort, their acquired status and financial security. Afterwards, it seems to be nothing else than a cheap sales organization of food products, which they try to sell through networking at well-organized home parties. In the end it felt like I had just attended a Tupperware demonstration.

This gets an average rating. The plot was extremely good, great acting and there was a wonderful claustrophobic feel to it. Unfortunately, as compelling as it was, the pacing was all off, and I found myself getting bored about three-quarters of the way through. It almost felt as if it could have been an hour long and much more satisfying.

As mentioned though, the acting was really good, and there was some real talent on show; I would hope that some of the names in the film go on to bigger things as the characterisations were fantastic.

It's definitely worth your while to watch it if you've already got Netflix, but beyond that I'm not really sure of its place in cinematic history.

This has got to be the strangest film, I've ever seen. However, in this particular case I am not sure that's a good thing. Throughout the movie, you don't really know what's happening which is usually a good aspect. At first, it seemed promising but it ends in an unexpected way. I would say the plot was decent, creative in a way, but the execution was mediocre. I was expecting something entirely different. The ending sucked A LOT, it was unpredictable in a bad way. The downside for me was the way the film ended. You could connect with the movie at some points. The start is pretty good, it shows a promising film. It was such a weird movie that it made me write a review, something that I never do.

Why in god's name would somebody put money and their careers into making this movie? Why? Why? Why?

This movie is not Rebirth. It is D E A T H !

Do not watch this. Go spend time with your wife. Cry over your dead relatives. Go for a meaningless night out.

I don't want to write further.

But IMDb needs a minimum of 10 lines of text.

This is line no 9.

PS. Just opened an account on IMDb to write this review. I guess that's "Rebirth"

Rebirth is one of those movies I confess to enjoying, but I genuinely didn't have a clue what was going on. It was trippy, gripping, and just plain bonkers. It was disturbing, but did tell a good story, how we're incredibly materialistic as a society, and how we're all totally reliant on our phones. The film had a slightly odd homo erotic feel about it I thought. Very well acted, Fran Kranz and Adam Goldberg were excellent.

It's a film you could easily dismiss, saying it makes no sense, but it's actually well written, and neatly crafted. I loved the 'not a cult' theme that ran through it.

Marketing will be the death of us all!

Enjoyed it, 7/10

I thought it might be worthwhile watching. As it began, I thought it had potential to be, maybe not great, but an okay thriller. Stuck with it. Wanted to turn it off, but stuck with it (thought it had to get better, there must be some great surprise coming).

Well, there's 1 hour, 40 minutes and 27 seconds I'll never get back. SO bad, so very very bad.

There it is, right at the top of the Netflix screen, NETFLIX ORIGINAL. Sucked me in, tempted me to watch it--Netflix original, probably good, right? HA!

Yes, it definitely is a nightmare--but there IS an escape. Don't start watching. If you do start to watch, and think it will get better, it won't. Turn it off. End the nightmare that is "Rebirth".

First the technical aspects of this film. The acting was very well done. The cinematography and camera use,lighting, editing...all on Hollywood big budget level. The score/sound effects as well. The story , as others have already mentioned, very similar to "The Game" with Michael Douglas (Just happens to be one of my all time favorite thriller movies ever) So, the PREMISE is not new. But I don't hold it against a film. Was there plot holes? Yes. I tend to be analytical and notice things like that, but as I've grown older I have also learned to quiet my brain to suspend belief enough to enjoy what the point is, when it is presented. (I don't nit pik as much)

What is NEW, compared to the movie "The Game", is this is a little more personal with less action. A little more in depth with the character facing his pre conceived ideas about himself and the world around him. In my opinion, that's always an interesting process to watch. I was also tickled to see the humor/satire injected into this movie, that "The Game" didn't have. The ending is super. And scared the crap outta me.

Was intrigued by the movie but didn't enjoy it, my wife hated it..

AVOID.

Can anyone tell me what I just watched?

I loved the plot, well the thought of the plot, but am I missing something? I'm certainly not stupid, but the last half of the movie left me more confused than ever.

The end?

This is the most annoying movie I have ever watched in my life. It will make you understand how Elvis could shoot his TV. An hour and 40 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

This made no sense at all. It had potential. I thought it was going to be along the lines of "Total Recall," but it wasn't. The plot is all over the place, the main actor is terrible, and the ending makes no sense. I'm sure there's a target audience for this film but who it is is beyond me. I have no idea what the purpose of this film was or what it was trying to say. Netflix wasted their money buying the rights to it. I hope this gets nominated for a Razzie. The trailers made this seem like a sci-fi or a psychological thriller but it was neither. I have no idea what genre to put this film in, to be honest. It's just a mess. A film should have a message and I'm sure there was one, but it was lost on me in this jumbled mess of a film.

How many movies do we need, with the 'only in a movie' plot of some poor dumb schmuck ALLOWING himself to be subjected to endless UNCONVINCING mind games throughout? The viewer is set up with the idea that the schmuck is going to learn some valuable lesson by the time it's through. But he's a non-existent movie stock character: anyone in real life would catch on that they're being gulled and would yell "you can all go f____ yourselves" and storm out, but this is the character who never does. I did, about 45 minutes in. Anyone want to post a spoiler and tell me if the lesson he learns is how to do that?

I am glad I didn't buy into all the negative reviews of Rebirth, and decided to give it a chance.

The movie didn't get off to the best start. I admit being annoyed in the first few minutes, and not feeling the main character at all - but as the movie progressed, I found myself glued to the screen, feeling everything he was. My pulse was racing, I was mad, I was confused, I was anxious - it was awesome!

Rebirth takes you on a seriously freaky ride that keeps you going WTF pretty much throughout, getting strange and claustrophobic; it really shows the mechanisms behind the likes of ponzi/pyramid-schemes - why people get into them, how they're lured, tricked and ultimately why they stay and even endorse them to others.

Great watch, very surprising. Dont believe the negativity - give it a shot!

At what point do idiots succumb to the nonsense and platitudes that suck them into cults in the first place. Either give in or get out. Stop telling us you're going to do either one and do it. In all honesty I can't tell if this film is anti cult or pro cult. I'm not sure the writer director knows that either. This movie is series of long silly irritating vignettes about the lead, Kyle being pushed and pushed and pushed until he explodes but then gives in. He's a weak weak man who is obviously going going to join. It's simply matter of whether he's seduced or bullied. But it seems like an inordinately large number of people are in on the scam to recruit one dumb guy.

I know that certain movies are able to trigger certain emotions in people. And characters behaving or being in situations that seem quite improbable ... well I get if you are mad at either the main character here or the others who seem quite mad to say the least. If that is the case, it still would be helpful if you watch the movie through, if you actually want to rate it. Just reviewing it without a rating is ok I guess - and maybe it is just me who wants to really know what was what, before I rate and/or review.

That being said, the same can be applied to the main character here - if he had quite midway through (or earlier), we'd never know where the movie was heading ... maybe we can guess where they are going with this, but I doubt you could tell how this would end exactly. Something that I am not too fond of either - but overall it is a neat and decent entry into the thriller genre. Interesting ideas and a concept that is critical with society but also with ... groups of people who use the flaws of said society to create something ... new and different. If you watch this, you'll know what I mean. Also really good actors involved in this, that make or at least elevate this in my humble opinion.

This movie made me hate this planet. Total waste of time I whis I would have cut my nails instead of watching this movie !

My third time writing a review for this movie, reminding you to NEVER watch this.