MOVIE REVIEW .... WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

 

Some sections of society are usually quick in blaming parents whenever their children commit crimes. Little do they ponder if such acts are the product of nature or nurture.  We Need to Talk about Kevin examines this conundrum as it charts a parents’ anguish of their child’s deeds.  Confronting in its stark bleakness, it is nevertheless a stirring tale of the effect such behaviour has on the familial unit. Director Lynne Ramsay perfectly captures the moody flavour of Lionel Shriver’s novel.

Eva (Tilda Swinton) is married to Franklin (John C Reilly) and they have a teenage son called Kevin (Ezra Miller).  A difficult child, Kevin becomes an even worse adolescent.  At the end of her tether with his ways, her world is shattered when her emotionally disturbed offspring goes on a killing spree.  Causing carnage at his local school, Kevin’s actions crush Eva’s resolve.  Wondering how events could have happened she examines her role in his upbringing and attempts to piece together the fractured puzzle her life has become.

Tilda Swinton’s character is certainly put through the wringer in this generally arresting film.  Running the gamut of emotions she tries to make sense of her son’s mental disintegration.  Discovering how Kevin’s dark hearted nature has seen him follow through on his murderous impulses, her feelings of trauma become all too real.  Feeling grief, guilt and anger at what he’s done, she unwittingly becomes another of his victims with the local community swiftly condemning her as a social pariah.

It’s a credit to Ramsay’s direction that she maintains an atmosphere of pervading despair.  No easy answers are given to the questions posed and it’s left to viewers to decide the moral issues the characters face.  Swinton provides an excellent performance as does Miller who has a magnetic presence.  It’s somewhat of a shame his role is more caricatured than needs be as the overly melodramatic elements negate much of story’s realism. 

Despite certain aspects not quite making this the powerful movie it wants to be, ‘Kevin’ courageously explores issues few films dare.  One can forever contemplate why people do such awful things although pausing to unearth the true facts of such incidents is a common theme this film asserts.

Movie Review Rating 7 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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