Maybe he is subtly telling others that his mother does not take care of him. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. This review of the film was originally published on December 22, 2011. To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right. When Eva goes to meet Kevin in the detention center, she asks him the same question. The point here is not to understand Kevin at all. The light outside disappears. Although these two terms are often used interchangeably in colloquial use, there are some mild differences between these two categories of personality disorders. Instead, maternal ambivalence is coded as horror. Eva's point of view is obviously not reliable, and her segments are intended to portray that she's entered a cycle of deep self-abuse over having raised a psychopath. Her emotional state doesnt change even when Kevin is born. Kevin gets taught about sex from his mother but he already knows what it is and calls it "fucking". She has a career as a writer put on hold, while her husband Franklin (O'Reilly, at his most oblivious) carries on. She frames Eva's discomfort against overjoyed mothers showing off their baby bumps in a pre-natal yoga class. Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), a former travel writer, gives up her life of adventure when she becomes pregnant. Will, get up. Watch Indie Spirit Stars Suggest Indie Gems You Must Watch Right Now. But her expression is one of strained indifference. Eva gets pregnant for a second time and gives birth to a little daughter Celia. True paternal love would have been expressed as abiding concern for the man his son could grow up to be if there really was a danger of mental illness, and result in the appropriate physical and mental health care to avoid a catastrophe. The story revolves around a family of four, but the main focus is on the relationship between the mother (Eva, played by Tilda Swinton) and the son (Kevin, played by Rock River, Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller). He's positive, cheerful, disconnected; he always behaves as nicely as he can, and in doing so, suggests his profound cluelessness. Franklin didn't do that - he wasn't even there. It's hard not to see some of Eva's frustration at her changed lifethey leave the city and she is left with most of the child careas manifesting in a kind of resentment of Kevin. The film moves without any pattern between past, present and who knows when. While the film isn't as explicit as the book, both versions of Eva are grappling with Kevin's final answer as they wonder if it's even worth feeling weighed down by the question of responsibility. As a baby and toddler, he is merely colicky, irritating and would try the patience of a saint. Kevin and Eva look similar, and in many scenes, Kevin and Eva wear similar clothes. But when he just sits there frowning, she expresses real disgust towards him. The two embrace, and then she walks away. Something just happened. Through association and contextualization, it becomes evident that Kevin killed his father and sister with the new and powerful bow and arrow that he received as a Christmas present from his father. Shortly after the incident with Celia, Kevin and his parents have a confrontation at the dining table. Eva and Franklin never seek psychiatric help for their son; they can't talk about Kevin without fighting. Go. Fast forward to fifteen year old Kevin, and we can see that this habit has become his worldview. Privacy Policy. Fun Fact: Ezra Miller is not a great person, Did not expect Steve Brule to be Kevin's father, can't help thinking how twisted but how well so much of this film would work with a laugh track [2]. Directed by Lynne Ramsay, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is fragments of time, jagged and confusing, lurching around inside her mind. Kevin is a defiant baby who screams incessantly but never around Franklin. None of this is done in a straightforward fashion. In Morvern Callar, Samantha Morton grieved her boyfriend's suicide. Try refreshing this page.If the problem persists, contact our support contact our support His final act of brutality a school massacre in addition to murdering his father and sister destroys any semblance of normalcy for Eva. We also did a lot of blue screen work before, which really helps with the imagination. So, that part I kind of liked because it shows, okay, this is what someone who's still fighting, interacting with someone who kind of essentially gave in. Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. Genres: Psychological Drama, Family Drama. I could have sworn that during the first time I watched it there was a scene of Kevin, Franklin and Celia in the garden and it shows how Kevin actually murdered them. The film does not show us how Kevin presents the eyeball to Eva in jail. Sign up for weekly updates from Busted Halo! All logos and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies. It is an epistolary novel, comprising the letters that Eva Khatchadourian writes to her husband Franklin in the aftermath of their son's crime. There are two really great examples of this: the first is the bow. After this episode, Eva and Kevin seemingly become more affectionate towards each other. Ramsay simulates these associative memories, jumping back and forth between the past and the present. Swinton is collecting a bevy of early plaudits and nominations, as well she should. Also, stripes are a striking feature that connects Kevins clothing sense from childhood to adolescence. We see it perfectly after he blinds Celia - Eva attempts to confront him about what he's done, and he sits chewing a water chestnut to impress the image of plucking out an eye on Eva, just to watch the horror on her face. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. So what about Franklin? The comedy had to come elsewhere there. Kevin's antics swell into violence during his teenage years, further driving a wedge between his parents and mutilating his little sister Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich) along the way. Jake Martin, visit our special Oscars season blog, Movie Minister. From here he becomes a sociopathic teen with a rather keen interest in archery. Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Kevin abused his mother because she developed a relationship with him where he could have honest interactions with her if he did. This in turn completely undermines the husband/wife dynamic. Eva and Franklin are a happily married couple till Eva gives birth to Kevin. Reilly is typically wonderful in a thankless role, while both juvenile actors evince a low-grade rage that never moves into complete disconnection or full-blown psychosis. Kevin, it seems, has a method to his madness. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones. The same 7-year-old also says, "I don't give a rat's ass." Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking Mild 35 of 50 found this mild Adults are sometimes shown casually drinking wine. While Eva is growing increasingly distrustful of Kevin, Franklin sides with his son and their marriage takes a hit. It's been 10 years since its world premiere at Cannes, and we need to talk about what made it such a haunting meditation on motherhood. Her public perception is unlikely to change, but Eva appears firm in her choice to stick around for Kevin's sake. How difficult was it to play the straight woman when everyone around you gets to be fairly silly in the early scenes? It was a really short moment, and then yeah, I would have loved to have had some interaction with Janet, but that wasn't even in there. Based on Lionel Shriver's 2003 bestseller of the same name, Lynne Ramsay's 2011 film explores a broken family, mental illness, and the aftermath of a tragedy. Kevin examines both our darkest moments and those slivers of Grace that sustain us. SPOILER. Children seldom get that attention, though. The desolate inner worlds of Ramsay's protagonists come alive through a sensory perspective. With Franklin there is no conflict. Eva often looks like she's in a state of shock. Swinton is excellent as Eva, the reluctant mother tormented by her psychopathic son, and director Lynne Ramsay handles the disjointed time structure well, but that's about all I can commend about it. The film moves without any pattern between past, present and who knows when. Then she goes home. ", Did Kevin internalize her hatred of him, or is she just feeding into his innate instability? None of that takes anything away from yet another deeply felt performance by the always-interesting Swinton. ROHAN: You're on a cast with Paul Rudd, David Dastmalchian,William Jackson Harper, and so manyfunny people. The ending of the film leaves Eva's fate up in the air. Kevin grows a liking for the fictional character of Robin Hood, and his father gifts him a bow and arrow. Is she channeling the brief moment of affection between the two when he was young and sick, or is she working toward being a better mother upon his release? Twice in flashbacks to Kevin's parents in their dating days, a UPS terminal with trucks can be seen in the near background. In this one, it is Kevin's triumph. After you see the film, think about it. It seems that Kevin wears old and small clothes to bring her mothers neglect to the worlds attention. Did they create a monster, or was he born that way? Not here. Kevin overhears his parents talking about a divorce, which adds to his anger towards the world. We Need to Talk About Kevin. Copyright 2023. Kevin predominantly shows signs of antisocial personality disorder, and when it is left unnoticed by his parents, Kevins condition takes a wrong turn. An important film that attempts to delve into the psychology behind the high school massacres we seem to read about in the news on a weekly basis. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The name itself Eva is not chosen by chance, echoing the fatally disobedient woman of the Bible, whose act determined the loss of the Garden of Eden. We cling to guidelines like the length of Tilda Swinton's hair to figure out where we are. When asked about the film adaptation in an interview with The Guardian, Shriver said her biggest concern was if they'd be able to "capture the quality of the slightly unreliable narrator and the ambiguity over who is to blame. But recent years have shown horror films can write mothers full of contradictions that challenge the status quo. KATY: It was really different, obviously, than the comic book version. Footsteps approach the tent and a figure walks past. Votes are used to help determine the most interesting content on RYM. As a portrait of a deteriorating state of mind, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is a masterful film. It is good to be more sensitive to the plights of children in general. All the community rules apply here. We see it in her bond with the more amiable Celia. What is lupus, an autoimmune disease diagnosed in Selena Gomez causing her weight gain? This is why, in the final scene, he no longer knows why he performed the massacre. And it works - Eva's confrontation was brutally dishonest, but after his reaction she's barely containing her seething rage and the truth of it is all over her face. While Eva is shown throughout the film to be indifferent toward her son, Kevin's actions are fueled by his desire to spite her. For the first portion of the film, the leaps back and forth in time caused needless confusion. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Lionel Shriver's source novel is a quirky, disturbing take on the high school killer story. But by the time he is a seven year-old, he starts to act in ways that seem in excess of whatever defects in mother love he may be getting. By. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O'Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. From the beginning, Eva is detached from motherhood. I watched this film several years ago and decided today I'd watch it again as I really enjoyed it the first time round! Now, mommy wakes up every morning and wishes she was in France! When she asks him that honest question, having accepted the reality of her abuse towards him, she comes to him totally honest And he no longer feels that underlying connection between love and fear that motivated him to his actions. In any other movie, that would be child abuse. The colour red is a recurring motif in the film. In You Were Never Really Here, Joaquin Phoenix was a hitman beset by PTSD. As she leaves, a troupe of tiny ballerinas in tutus run past her. It's very hard for me to take things seriously, I love to crack jokes and everything, and, I mean, they're so funny off-set, even the guy that played Xolum, James Cutler, he's so funny, and he's just screaming random stuff, when you're trying to be serious, and just all of a sudden, this yell comes out of nowhere, and you're trying to just keep a straight face. We Need To Talk About Kevin - Behind the Scenes - Tilda Swinton Movie (2011) HD - YouTube 0:00 / 2:18 We Need To Talk About Kevin - Behind the Scenes - Tilda Swinton Movie. Because children are normally associated with innocence, creepy children are a tried concept in horror films. While Eva and Franklin argue over the accident, Kevin taunts his mother by peeling a litchi, with a smug look on his face. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined. Three days before turning 16, Kevin unleashes chaos in his school. And I really am curious as to how she's handling a society of ultra-intelligent ants that basically flooded her world. In a sonic sleight-of-hand, the joyful cheers alchemise into the sorrowful cries of the families and friends of Kevin's victims. Kevin's insidious nature is best exemplified in a scene staged in the aftermath of Celia losing her eye. For mothers always seem to be on trial. Catherine George managed the costume department impeccably well, with a slight touch of retro. Only with her because his father was at work whole day and saw his son for like an hour a day. The film opens to the sounds of sprinklers tch-tch-ing, before the first shot reveals a half-open patio door whose curtains are wafting with the wind. It is so ingrained in our culture even a fellow grieving mother slaps her in the parking lot. Jake Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, comedian and writer. However, the story's unflinching refusal to provide answers for who was responsible carries over. ROHAN: Since Jentorra is the leader of the rebellion, was there anything specificyou tried to channel or watch to get into her headspace? The second is Kevin's bedroom. The sound of him savouring the juicy fruit a fruit he doesn't even like in deliberate crunches of sinister delight becomes unsettling when paired with the thought of Celia's lost eye. We see this throughout Kevin's early developmental journey. What is the streaming release date of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) in Canada? But Eva is incapable of showing him the love that he deserves, even after trying her best. The flaws of this largely overwrought story belong not so much to Ramsay as filmmaker as to Shriver's source novel. When the child Kevin is sick and nuzzles close to his mother as she reads, his father comes to the door and is rejected in favor of his mother, the look on Evas face is one of wonder and delight. Hes a friendly and vibrant young priest and a gifted preacher. Three days before his 16th birthday, Kevin Khatchadourian (Ezra Miller) kills several students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker in his high school gymnasium. He can't understand her, but don't you suppose he understands her dislike? A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores the relationship between a mother and her evil son. At first glance, it would seem that Kevin is yet another installment in the pantheon of post-modern films intent upon assaulting the human desire to give meaning to the world. It doesn't gel with what has come before, where Eva seems to accept her son's innate cruelty, and is looking for a way to escape. He's aware of her feelings toward him, and throughout the film, points them out. Jake Martin, visit our special Oscars season blog, Movie Minister.. ROHAN: You have a few scenes with Kathryn Newton, who is playing Cassie, in the film. Kevin was never the apple of his mothers eye, which he realized from early childhood. The source material for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" was purposely crafted to leave readers wondering who was responsible for the massacre. KATY: Oh, I'd love to come back. He was exactly right. Author Lionel Shriver on her early writing, politics, essential reading list and persevering out of 'sheer spite'. describes the "nature vs. nurture" debate. Home | At one point, she mockingly. In front of his mother, Kevin is often a difficult, menacing and unresponsive boy. The woman sits up in alarm and shakes the MAN. We see it in the wall of canned tomatoes that play backdrop to Evas anxiety attack in a supermarket, and the Cabernets she drowns her sorrows with. If she had her way, she would put her life on rewind and start all over again maybe even as somebody else, since she's not very fond of herself. 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