Director: Eugenio Mira
Screenplay: Mikel Alvariño, Eugenio Mira
Starring: Corey Feldman, Jack Taylor, Erica Prior
Country: Spain
Running Time: 120 minutes
Year: 2004
BBFC Certificate: 15
The Birthday (2004) is a gloriously whacky and surreal comedy-horror with Lynchian vibes. Featuring larger than life actor Corey Feldman in the main role, we follow him through a disastrous birthday party at an eery hotel in the 1980s. It’s like we’re piggybacking on the shoulders of a victim in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). There’s a lot of iconic 80s influences and references in this cult movie. Feldman himself a relic of the 80s, having starred in popular films The Goonies (1985), Stand by Me (1986) and The Lost Boys (1987), among others.
Feldman plays Norman Forrester, a guy who attends the birthday party of his girlfriend’s father in a weird hotel. The film offers such a bizarre experience, which is further elevated by Feldman’s performance, I was scratching my head at how this film was even produced.
It came from the minds of Spanish director and co-writer Eugenio Mira and co-writer Mikel Alvariño. They managed to scrape together the budget through a mix of grants and produced the movie in their native country. This makes the peculiar Americana setting all the more impressive, with some flawless set design on display. They filmed at a derelict hospital, building the set for each shot, while retaining the austere quality of the location.
It plays out like Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985), as we follow Norman as he meets peculiar characters and delves further into the unknown as he’s forced into more weird situations as the night progresses. What makes the experience even more delicious, is the fact that Norman is just as bonkers as the rest of them. Feldman remains a very compelling actor to watch, and the strange squeaky voice he puts on makes his portrayal of the dweeby Norman all the more sympathetic.
Norman’s relationship with his girlfriend, played by the fiery Erica Prior is rocky, and the disastrous party feels like a metaphor illustrating tumultuous end of their relationship. Playing the intimidating father is Jack Taylor, known for a starring in a range of European exploitation movies of the 70s, has a magnetic energy.
If you like one-shot style movies like Birdman (2014) or 1917 (2019), then you will appreciate the fluidity of The Birthday, which plays out like a real-life comic book. Alvariño has been so methodical and economic with his shot composition.
There are plenty of instances where close-ups become a master which creates this beautiful dreamlike dissolve. The Birthday doesn’t make any claims of being a one-shot movie but it’s made in that fluid style which creates a lovely flowing sense of urgency as the tension ramps up. This is mostly the case, but the film does tend to drag in the middle act, especially with the melodrama playing out between Norman and his girlfriend and could have done with perhaps 20 minutes of cuts.
The 4K transfer is exquisite. The 80s moody aesthetic is full of colour, accentuated by the crystal-clear quality of the picture. The absorbing nature is further enhanced by the awesome design which really comes alive in the final act. There are so many layers of sound interlaced within the action, Mira’s score is utterly spellbinding. There’s a real epic quality to the ending, making the high-dynamic range of the presentation all the more worth it.
Film: 
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 4K restoration from the original negative
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by actor Corey Feldman and co-writer/director Eugenio Mira
• The Shape of a Miracle, a brand new interview with Mira, shot exclusively for this release
• Pathology, an in-depth breakdown of a scene from the film by Mira, featuring archival behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards and rushes
• 2024 Q&A with Feldman and Mira from the film’s 20th anniversary screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas
• Original trailer
• 20th anniversary trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bryan Reesman
The special features with this disc were so riveting, I ended up watching them in one sitting, after finishing the movie.
Audio commentary with Corey Feldman and Eugenio Mira – A really wonderful commentary that goes into detail about each shot, the themes, ideas of the movie, and even offers up lots of revelations about the movie and a range of twists you may have missed. Feldman and Mira are very relaxed with each other and a pleasure to listen to.
Feldman at one point alludes to sexual abuse claims he’s made in the industry by making comparisons with the themes in the movie, particularly on Norman’s journey. He said there is a “duality” between himself and the character of Norman who in the movie tries to warn people about “a sinister evil that is lurking in the shadows, very much like something I have had to do in my personal life, trying to warn people about darkness and evil.” He adds at the time of making the movie, he hadn’t spoken much about the abuse he’d experienced.
At one point in the movie, Norman drops a glass and it bounces back into his hand. There’s an amusing moment in the commentary, where Feldman bizarrely tried to claim he actually bounced the glass for real. Mira interjects quickly, correcting Feldman and reminding him about the laborious process of setting up that shot. Funnily enough, this is shown in great detail on the bonus documentary. Feldman also claims that his first wife had an affair with the popular singer Prince.
Feldman compared the filmmaking style to ballet dancing with fluid choreography and smooth transitions. I can’t help but agree.
Shape of a Miracle (17mins) – Director interview – Charming interview with the director, Mira, who it’s impossible not to like. He explains that he was heavily influenced by Donnie Darko when making the movie, as it had the “same intent, soul.” He says that Corey was in every single shot – bar one key moment. He described The Birthday as a “love letter to cinema”. It was fascinating to hear him talk about hunting down the orginal negative and the restoring footage himself. He says the Bluray label thought he was crazy for undertaking such an endeavour.
Pathology (16mins) – Making-of documentary – This was great documentary made by Mira. It explains how they got such fluid shots, visually, by showing the before and after. There’s a detailed sequence about how they got the glass bouncing shot. I believe it was made my footage Mira unearthed during the restoration process. Recommends Bryan Yuznas The Society.
2024 Q/A (10mins) – Feldman gloriously whacky. Love how rushed and dynamic it was.
Disc/package:
Arrow Video releases The Birthday on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray on 16 March 2026.