We Need to Talk About Kevin

While the idea behind "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is exceptional, I was put off by the direction of this film. While I know that a non-linear way of film making is popular these days, it's often overused--and here it is not used effectively. Too many times, the film jumps about in time and this took me out of the experience. This makes the film too unnecessarily confusing--so I am glad that I knew the plot so I could understand what was happening. Additionally, the film used a very deliberate artsy style--such as the overuse of the color red (the tomato fight, the stack of tomato soup cans, the paint)--resulting in sledgehammer symbolism. For me, the story was very strong on its own and didn't need all these tricks.

Tilda Swinton stars as a mother of a child who is seriously disturbed. However, her husband (John C. Reilly) is in complete denial and inexplicably the kid is never taken to see a therapist (or exorcist). As the film progresses, the child grows from an Oppositional-Defiant child to a cold and ruthless sociopath as a teen. You never ever hear about how he is perceived by teachers and neighbors--an odd omission. However, including the child killing animals, having one of the parents in complete denial, sexually offensive behavior and the hasty behavior towards his sister are all excellent touches--which I noticed since I used to work with folks like this (which would explained why I eventually gave up being a therapist and became a teacher). Unfortunately, as the film is out of sequence, you already know that sooner or later this will all lead to Kevin committing some atrocities.

Overall, this is a very compelling but frustrating film. I already talked about the film style which left me flat, but I also thought it very odd how the only one who seemed to notice anything unusual about Kevin was his mom. Even clever sociopaths are noticeable--perhaps not to everyone but to only be apparent to one person? Odd... The film is worth seeing but it just misses the mark for me--it could have been great.

We need to talk about Kevin is easily one of the most harrowing films I've ever seen and left me completely empty. Lynne Ramsey succeeds where so many others dealing with a similar subject matter have failed, as she abstains from sensationalism and bloody detail. Instead she focuses in on character and relationship development and breakdown.

Tilda Swinton gives a truly great performance and even though the main thread of the story is clear almost from the start, she and the rest of the terrific cast manage to keep the viewer glued to the screen.

One of the most interesting facets of the film was that it showed how much power children can hold and execute over adults if they are given the opportunity.

We need to talk about Kevin is quality from start to finish and deserves to become a classic. I'm looking forward to seeing many more films by Lynne Ramsay.

Greetings again from the darkness. The Brady Bunch, this isn't. It's also not the place to look for helpful parenting tips. In fact, the story revolves around Eva, a woman (Tilda Swinton) who apparently didn't want to have a child ... at least not at this time, and certainly not THIS child. If you have seen The Omen, you probably gave thanks that you didn't have a child like Damien. At least we knew Damien was the spawn of Satan. Eva's son Kevin, is instead a good old fashioned psychopath. One who has an inherent need to cause pain and misery for his mother.

What a pair Eva and Kevin make. From day one, Kevin seems to sense his mother's lack of joy in parenthood. And he seems to have a genetic disposition of making her pay. As with many psychopaths, his above average intelligence makes him even more dangerous. He is tricky enough to keep his dad (John C Riley) clueless as to his nature, while causing much doubt in the dad's mind as to the stability of his wife.

My favorite part is actually how director Lynne Ramsay structured the storytelling. It goes beyond non-linear and actually bounces throughout three key periods: Kevin as a baby/toddler, Kevin as a 6-8 year old (Jason Newell), and Kevin as a teenager (Ezra Miller). Each age is progressively more frightening and disenchanting, and the film begins with what is an undetermined catastrophe. This event is slowly revealed over the course of the movie, though we witness events leading up to it, as well as the resulting fallout.

There are a few scenes where Eva is scrubbing the exterior of her house in an attempt to remove the red paint that was purposefully splattered. As a viewer, we understand that she has blood on her hands and she seems resigned to the fact that she is now a social outcast, even a pariah. We spend much of the movie in Eva's jumbled thoughts as she tries to piece together what has happened and why. Of course, there is no answer. The title explains what was missing all along. There was no communication and no willingness to confront the problem ... a psychopathic son. To say they all paid the price is an understatement.

This film has a very limited audience, though my claim is that Ms. Swinton was quite deserving of an Oscar nomination. She wears defeat like a mask and lives in isolation better than most could. Even the music is offbeat and unusual in its use ... thanks to Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. As filmmaking, this is high art. As storytelling, it's a bit muddled and quite a downer.

We have to talk about Kevin is a movie by Lynne Ramsay who has shown that he knows cinema and knows the language of cinema. This film is an abstract film and a unique tragedy of a woman on the verge of collapse. An attractive collage of color, light, pop music, red motifs and abstract images well created by the director. Although the film is weak in characterization, especially for the character of the father, but thanks to the good direction, the film is strong and interesting.

Some friends say that the film asks the audience many questions and puts them in different situations, but it does not tell or give anything to the audience, and I reply that this is exactly pure cinema. The film raises important concepts that people should talk about, such as violence and its origin, unwanted pregnancy and its effects, inappropriate attachment patterns, the role of parents, the institution of the family and the role of society, attention, and more. The film also blends time well with its structural pattern and keeps the audience in time, present and past at the same time. At the end, the film raises this important question: How did kevin become a monster?

It could have been excellent, but to me it was just good enough. I feel let down by all the reviews saying how difficult to watch the movie is. I didn't find it difficult to watch. At all.

Because to me, the movie barely scratched the surface, it could have been much more than what it ended up being. Everything was hinted at but nothing was really said. I expected to see the stages of atrocities committed by Kevin, but it was just different scenes all making the same exact point, there was no gradual progression. Therefore, the 'biggest atrocity' that happens in the movie didn't feel believable or interesting to me, at all.

Eva was a greatly portrayed character, and I like the fact that they didn't just paint her as a bad mother but as one who's simply trying her best. She felt very real to me. But like for Kevin, I feel that her character only scratched the surface and that we could have been given more insights into her thoughts and feelings. Her husband (and father of Kevin), however, felt completely useless to me. We are given some insights into their marriage and relationship, but given the title of the movie I expected the father to take a greater place in the story.