We Need to Talk About Kevin
A high school killing spree leads to a captivating examination of parenthood and the ‘nature vs nurture’ debate.
Overview
Lynne Ramsay's We Need To Talk About Kevin is a stunning and unnerving adaptation of Lionel Shriver's acclaimed 2003 novel of the same name. It tells the story of Eva (Tilda Swinton), a free-spirited travel writer whose life undergoes a radical (and, in her mind, unfavourable) disruption following the birth of her son Kevin. Tormented by his incessant screaming and frustrated by the unfamiliar role of 'stay-at-home mum', Eva quickly develops an extreme case of post-natal depression typified by unqualified resentment of her child. Tragically as Kevin matures their relationship simply grows colder, with Eva's indifference matched only by Kevin's calculated disobedience. He is as defiant with her as he is affectionate towards his father, which in turn merely exacerbates Eva's already bitter jealousy.
Later, when Kevin suddenly embarks upon a devastating high school killing spree reminiscent of the Columbine massacre, Eva becomes both the focus of an outraged community's scorn and victim of her own conscience as she grapples with the possibility that her parenting (or lack thereof) was ultimately to blame.
Swinton is simply mesmerising in the role of Eva, with her transformation from carefree Bohemian to haunted loner incredibly confronting both physically and psychologically. John C. Reilly is also excellent as her earnest but sceptical husband, though he's unfairly burdened by the 'comedian-turned-serious-actor' problem that curiously fails to operate inversely when serious actors pop up in comedies. Lastly there's Ezra Miller in the role of Kevin, whose eerie calm and recalcitrant manipulation affords the audience a small level of sympathy towards Eva as she tries and fails to love him like a parent should.
Visually, We Need To Talk About Kevin is a joy to watch thanks to the sublime cinematography of Seamus McGarvey and polished direction by Ramsay. Psychologically, it is perhaps the most unsettling film of 2011, filled with moments of such suspense and disquiet that you'll emerge from the cinema utterly rattled by the experience and suddenly terrified of parenthood.
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