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In the contemporary drama, Kidman plays Anna, a grieving widow who befriends a 10-year-old boy who claims to be the reincarnation of her late husband. Initially dubious, she gradually begins to believe him when he appears to know things about their relationship that only her late husband would know. Their relationship becomes something other than platonic as her defenses break down. Most controversial is a scene in which the boy (played by Canadian actor Cameron Bright) joins Kidman's character in a bathtub.

Kidman, the mother of two, says she never saw the scene as "a huge deal." Neither she nor Bright was actually nude while shooting it. "This film is not about sex," she insists. "It's about love."

Directed and co-written by Jonathan Glazer ("Sexy Beast"), the R-rated "Birth" is supposed to be a "metaphysical love story." Glazer reports that Kidman contacted him about portraying the film's heroine. "I didn't even consider her because I didn't think we could get her," says the lanky British filmmaker. "She really threw herself into (the role). Most people don't know it, but Nicole's a great character actress."

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