'We
Need to Talk About Kevin'
Film
Review
Tilda
Swinton as Eva Khatchadourian
Her
face, so ethereal and strange
Her
black eyes, staring ahead.
The
tension between mother and son in the large pine house.
Filled
with anger the pine house remains silent.
The
intense repulsion for a mother.
A
mother so desperate to fill a role that will make her woman.
The
advert had an sinister, yet familiar feeling.
I
knew this was about a high school killing, a topic deplorably
familiar in today’s news.
I
was prepared for something very intense and real.
As
the film begun, we see a large crowd squirming around in red liquid.
The crowd first appear to be naked, but are wearing vest tops or
flesh coloured t shirts. It is hard to tell if the people are crying
or smiling, their faces turn away. They seem uncomfortable in the
crowded space, some of them are carrying what appears to be fruit.
The pulp from the squashed fruit lines the floor.
The floor is
slippery and people struggle to stand, using others bodies for
support.
Perhaps
now the people are not uncomfortable in the crowd, but comforted by
the bodies around them keeping them from sliding around? The juice
from the fruit is thick and lumpy and red.
Visually, the sea of
people amongst the red is foreboding.
Red appears continually
throughout the film to remind us of the harrowing act of mass murder.
The red lighting casts strange infra-red masks on Eva's face while
she is driving or sleeping. The red from her digital alarm clock
encompasses her room dominating the space, holding Eva in. The dried
red paint on the walls of Eva's porch turn to liquid. The liquid
stains her hands as she scrubs, causing her to clean them obsessively
like Lady Macbeth.
The
impact of the razor blade causing the paint on the windows to crack,
seemed so tirelessly constructed as symbolic agony yet I allow It.
At times I felt myself so aware of what the film was trying to
make me feel; the way the shots were set up or how sound was
manipulated ,but I allow it.
I
allow it because it was Tilda Swinton and everything she did in the
film was entrancing to watch.
Saying
that, one scene which did bother me too much to accept was the
Halloween scene.
The scene had the song 'Everyday' by Buddy Holly
playing and it was just so unnecessary.
The
scene was eerie enough without being fed the juxtaposing music to
heighten our apprehension.
The trick or treating children were hungry
for candy and moved so quickly that their capes cast looming shadows
on the houses; this was threatening enough, why add the cliché
music??
Maybe
its because I had that Buddy Holly song as my ringtone for so long,
or the fact it reminds me of the film 'Big Fish', but that choice of
music made me feel that bit less invested.
My fear and believability
for Kevin seemed a little less real to me after that.
The
script had limited dialogue, like so many of the films I have
recently seen.
'Tree
of Life' by Terrence Malick had a similar visual intensity but lacked
any real connection with character through script. 'Tree of Life' has
some beautiful cinematography. The shots are set up very well and
each frame could make a beautiful photograph. It makes me wonder
though, with all the available cgi and visual advancements in the
past few years, will films just be strong aesthetically but weak in
narrative?
Its
tough for me to judge if 'we need to talk about Kevin' was
narratively weak because I was in awe of Tilda Swinton throughout
even though she didn't say much. Perhaps the fact Tilda was so
mesmerizing to watch meant dialogue wasn't needed any more.
Alternately
the film just relied on the one strong idea of a teenage murderer and
didn’t bother writing an intelligent script.
The
ending felt unresolved. Was that down to bad writing or was that the
intended emotion? The aftermath is always going to make one feel
strange and empty so surely no other ending could really have been
realistic?
Ezra
Miller Who played Kevin was very suave. Being so perceptive and
shrewd, It was hard to believe he was just 18. His acting was very
strong and he possessed a domineering confidence that was both
unnerving and appealing. With his porcelain skin and striking dark
features- it always makes the villain more intriguing when they are
attractive (what a 'Hollywood' way of thinking I have)
I
didn't like John C Reilly, but I never usually do.
It
is hard for me to remember not liking Tilda swinton before seeing
this movie. Id only seen her in 'Narnia' and on the red carpet, and
therefore had associated her as being scary and icy. She is not like
that at all. She was fragile in this film. She was broken and brave
and overwhelmed with a desire to nurture and be nurtured. She was
wonderful to watch.
Its funny I found this poster because throughout the movie
when the mother called 'Kevin' I kept thinking of this too! oh dear haa
