Oliver Hirschbiegel, who came into limelight with his film on Adolf Hitler’s last days, has now made the beginning in Hollywood, directing Nicole Kidman in a science-fiction thriller.

In the new film, “The Visiting”, Kidman plays a Washington psychiatrist who discovers that aliens are behind a mysterious disease outbreak. She then faces the daunting task of protecting her son – who holds the key to stopping the invasion.

Kidman appeared thrilled to be working with the director, saying she went to see his film “The Downfall”, which was nominated for a foreign-language film Oscar, as soon as it came out.

She termed Oliver’s work “a great piece of film-making”. “I am proud to be in his hands,” she added.

She said the storyline appealed to her. “A theme that runs through a lot of my movies is the love that a mother has for her child.”

For the 48-year-old German director, there’s a sense of awe about playing in the US major league for the first time.

“I must say, as a director here, you are much more respected than in Germany,” he recently told reporters during a break in on-location shooting in Washington.

“In Germany, they do not know what you are doing. But here you are something special – like a doctor or lawyer.”