We Need to talk about Kevin

'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