Birth

Right now you can watch Birth on streaming — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 767 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Nicole Kidman sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Birth arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. At its heart, Birth understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. It took Anna 10 years to recover from the death of her husband, Sean, but now she's on the verge of marrying her boyfriend, Joseph, and finally moving on. However, on the night of her engagement party, a young boy named Sean turns up, saying he is her dead husband reincarnated. At first she ignores the child, but his knowledge of her former husband's life is uncanny, leading her to believe that he might be telling the truth. Nicole Kidman and Cameron Bright lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2004. Birth is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find Birth proves them wrong. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Nicole Kidman anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.