The Birthday Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Birthday Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 11, 2026

Co-writer and director Eugenio Mira may engender a bit of surprise when in a supplement on this disc he overtly compares The Birthday to Donnie Darko in some frankly unspecified but (to Mira, anyway) meaningful way, though it may be salient to note that Mira is pretty quick to confess that he actually prefers Donnie Darko to his own film (if I'm understanding his comments correctly). The only tethers that some curmudgeons (ahem) may experience between these two films is a general incoherence on some surface levels combined with a completely unique point of view and some increasingly surreal vignettes. There's no demented giant bunny here, nor is there an errant jet falling out of the sky, but there is an at least somewhat similarly askew sensibility to this film that may in fact remind some of Donnie Darko. That said, to paraphrase a memorable comment from a long ago Vice Presidential debate, Corey Feldman is no Jake Gyllenhaal, and Feldman's completely tic driven performance here is probably going to annoy as many people as it delights. That may become even more of a problem with regard to the film as a whole since Feldman's character of Norman Forrester is (supposedly) on screen for the entire 117 minute running time of the narrative. Also unlike Donnie Darko, that running time is utilized as "real time" in the film itself, meaning that the entire gonzo story unfolds within the running time of the film.

The baseline narrative of The Birthday is in fact considerably more streamlined and at least arguably more straightforward than what is on tap in Donnie Darko. Norman Forrester (Corey Feldman) finds himself wandering the labyrinthine halls of the deco adjacent Royal Fulton Hotel in Baltimore on an evening in 1987. He's there ostensibly to help celebrate the birthday of the father of his girlfriend Alison Fulton (Erica Prior), whose surname may serve as shorthand for the socioeconomic differences between her family and the decidedly less well off Norman. Suffice it to say there's something else going on within the apparently demonic confines of the hotel, and Norman soon finds himself in what might be jokingly referred to as a bus and truck version of Sartre's No Exit, albeit in this instance with hell not just being generic "other people" but ostensible cult members on a kind of Lovecraftian quest to awaken Cthulu (or something similar) from its subterranean slumber.

It's all intentionally chaotic and deliberately disjointed (despite the "real time" aspect), and the film's tone is rather interesting, if not always consistent. The biggest problem has to be Feldman, unfortunately, who even in this disc's commentary seems to have a pretty high opinion of his performance which may not be shared by the public at large. He definitely attempts to create a character, but all the "seams" are showing, with a relentless physical shuffle and vocalizations that are just flat out bizarre and tend to distract more than anything. Mira also makes reference to what he calls a "Lynchian" sensibility suffusing the film, and in that regard it may be instructive to note how relatively naturalistic performances in even the most hyperbolic Lynch productions can be, something that is simply not even tried for throughout The Birthday.

The Birthday has relatively recently gotten some latter day recognition after having been largely ignored and then forgotten after its initial release due to some hefty praise heaped upon it by none other than Jordan Peele. Peele's enthusiasm is at least partially understandable, since the film does create a confounding mood, but my hunch is some folks may wish there may have been someone like, say, Daniel Kaluuya rather than Corey Feldman essaying a put upon outsider in the focal role of this enterprise.

The Birthday Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Birthday is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow sent a check disc for purposes of this 1080 review, but they sent a retail final of their The Birthday 4K release, and I'm assuming that per the label's recent history, they provide the same insert booklet for their 1080 release as for their 4K UHD release. With that in mind, Arrow's insert booklet offers only the following short and generic information about the presentation:

The Birthday is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1 sound.

The film was restored from the original 35mm camera negative in 4K resolution by Giant Pictures.

There's surprisingly little information on what was evidently a self funded restoration effort (over the course of many years) by Mira for this release, but the results are generally quite winning. Some of the presentation seems intentionally soft and filtered looking, as if diffusion filters may have been used to increase the hallucinogenic aspect of what's going on, but that said, detail levels are typically precise looking throughout this presentation, hobbled perhaps just a bit by a prevalence of wider framings and a glut of pretty dimly lit material. A lot of this film takes place in shadowy environments, and probably unsurprisingly Arrow's 4K UHD release can help elucidate some of the darker areas of the frame courtesy of its HDR / Dolby Vision grades when compared to this 1080 presentation. The production design is not especially resplendent (intentionally so), but things like the red carpet of the ballroom, Norman's baby blue tux shirt, or some of the yellow walls in the hotel pop extremely well even in SDR. Grain resolves naturally throughout, and I noticed no signs of age related wear or tear.

The Birthday Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Birthday features an increasingly immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Much like the actual narrative, the first half of the film can be a bit of a slog, audio wise, though there is still at least intermittent engagement of the side and rear channels for (typically claustrophobic) ambient environmental effects. However the last half (or at least last third) of the film tips over into absolute mayhem, and at the point the sound design becomes almost Baroque in its layering and immersive capabilities. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Birthday Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Corey Feldman and Eugenio Mira


• The Shape of a Miracle (HD; 17:17) is a new interview with Eugenio Mira.


• Pathology (HD; 16:42) is a scene breakdown by Mira.


• The Birthday Q & A (HD; 9:57) features Feldman and Mira at the 2024 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.


• Original Trailer (HD*; 3:30)


• 20th Anniversary Trailer (HD; 2:09)


• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

As mentioned above, Arrow sent a check disc for purposes of this 1080 review, but I am assuming its 1080 Limited Edition mimics Arrow's 4K UHD release by having a reversible sleeve and a nicely appointed collectors' booklet with an interesting essay by Bryan Reesman, as well as a slipcover.

The Birthday Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Corey Feldman has obviously had a somewhat troubled life, as evidenced by his own self reportage and his frequent appearances in the news and/or gossip rags, most recently with his assertion that the Academy Award festivities scheduled for this coming weekend (as this review is being published) has exiled him from a planned tribute to Rob Reiner. Unfortunately that very troubled quality seems to almost unavoidably seep into Feldman's characterization in this film, and I personally think he tends to upset the apple cart, so to speak, more than helping things to attain a consistent tone. Still, this is a very interesting low budget affair on any number of levels, and the imprimatur of Jordan Peele should certainly bring new eyes to the project. Technical merits are solid (though my advice for any fans is to opt for the 4K UHD release) and the supplements are very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.