If you're looking for clear plot pay-offs, this is a movie for which you should probably wait on the DVD.

Nicole Kidman's flawless form adorns the prow of this doomed, but baroque ship of fools and nearly redeems it entirely by force of sheer elegance.

As a soon-to-be-wed New York nabob of indistinguishable profession, she is confronted by a ten-year-old boy claiming to be the man who widowed her ten years earlier, reincarnated. But a former inlaw may have something to say about the husband's reappearance, and her fiancé's none too pleased either.

This film may prove compelling to those in the audience who've suffered the untimely loss of a spouse, but we are given very little reason to care about either Kidman's character or her would-be grade-school suitor. Indeed, her fiancé seems the most genuinely human character in the picture as he finally snaps under the weight of the sheer absurdity of the situation and takes the boy across his knee. The ethereal Kidman and the even more otherworldly boy -- played by Cameron Bright -- each seem somewhat malevolent and selfish. In a couple borderline irresponsible scenes they bathe together and exchange thoughts on the sexual dynamics their union might entail. Artsy!

You might say the film is about duking it out with your lover's past or coping with lost love and infidelity, but, in the end, if you're like me, you are not going to care about these people no matter how hard you try. And in a character-driven film like this, that's pretty much the whole ballgame.

But the cinematography and pacing are brilliant. Also, as mentioned, you get to look at Nicole Kidman in full Elvis for a hundred minutes and there's far worse ways to spend an evening.

As I said, a decent rental for a dull evening some night, but don't lay out the nine dollars.

This movie review by Erik Gloor