We Need To Talk About Kevin
Year: 2011
Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly & Tilda Swinton
Runtime: 112 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 09/06/22
Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly & Tilda Swinton
Runtime: 112 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 09/06/22
I had planned to release the review of this film earlier but considering the recent events in Texas I had wondered whether to release the review at all. But on considering what to do I decided that now is probably the best time to talk about this film and the subject matter it concerns itself with because not enough is being done about it. I won’t try to make out like I know all the facts, or that I have a perfect solution because I don’t. But America needs to wake up to the fact that it has a gun problem, and films like We Need To Talk About Kevin are so few and far between that they need to be talked about more.
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) was a successful travel writer for many years, that is until her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), murders a number of his fellow students with a bow and arrow in the school gymnasium. Now almost two years later, Eva struggles with her daily life as she is villainised and harassed wherever she goes and spends her days wondering whether it was her actions that caused Kevin to become a killer, or whether he was always destined for that path.
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) was a successful travel writer for many years, that is until her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), murders a number of his fellow students with a bow and arrow in the school gymnasium. Now almost two years later, Eva struggles with her daily life as she is villainised and harassed wherever she goes and spends her days wondering whether it was her actions that caused Kevin to become a killer, or whether he was always destined for that path.
We Need To Talk About Kevin is a deeply upsetting film that can’t always decide whether it wants to make a statement about school shootings in America. Based on the book of the same name, the story avoids the most direct confrontation of the matter by swapping out a gun for a bow and arrow. But what the film does do well is focus on those affected by the attack, rather than on the attack itself.
The timeline jumps forward and backwards throughout the years, painting a picture of the strained relationship Kevin and Eva had throughout Kevin’s entire childhood. His relentless desire to push his mother to breaking point and emotionally manipulate her beyond all comprehension, and the way he hides it from other adults in his life such as his father (John C. Reilly) is both captivating and terrifying.
Though another area where We Need To Talk About Kevin doesn’t confront the issue of school shooters head on is in its portrayal of Kevin. Often white male shooters are given some level of sympathy within the media or by law enforcement dealing with the case as they were simply a misunderstood youth, or struggling with mental health issues, yet seemingly normal to anyone who encountered them. Kevin meanwhile is a straight up psychopath from the outset, and whilst many of the adults who engage with him are blind to it, it’s very obvious from a young age that Kevin has no regard for life or the hurt he inflicts to other people. The little media coverage we are shown about the event doesn't really talk about Kevin at all, and I think it's really important to highlight how biased the media often is when it comes to the ethnicity of the attacker.
Swinton delivers a great performance, but it is without a doubt Miller that is the scene stealer whenever he is around. Kind of appropriate to see Miller in this kind of role given his recent indiscretions, but he does hold your gaze like a vice in this film with his incredible line delivery and emotional vacancy. Reilly was an interesting casting choice as the father because he’s the kind of actor I never associate with dramatic roles. He was good in the role, but I could never shake the feeling that he wasn’t quite right somehow, perhaps that just me typecasting but the fact that he’s usually such a funny guy just distracted me at times from the seriousness of the film.
The timeline jumps forward and backwards throughout the years, painting a picture of the strained relationship Kevin and Eva had throughout Kevin’s entire childhood. His relentless desire to push his mother to breaking point and emotionally manipulate her beyond all comprehension, and the way he hides it from other adults in his life such as his father (John C. Reilly) is both captivating and terrifying.
Though another area where We Need To Talk About Kevin doesn’t confront the issue of school shooters head on is in its portrayal of Kevin. Often white male shooters are given some level of sympathy within the media or by law enforcement dealing with the case as they were simply a misunderstood youth, or struggling with mental health issues, yet seemingly normal to anyone who encountered them. Kevin meanwhile is a straight up psychopath from the outset, and whilst many of the adults who engage with him are blind to it, it’s very obvious from a young age that Kevin has no regard for life or the hurt he inflicts to other people. The little media coverage we are shown about the event doesn't really talk about Kevin at all, and I think it's really important to highlight how biased the media often is when it comes to the ethnicity of the attacker.
Swinton delivers a great performance, but it is without a doubt Miller that is the scene stealer whenever he is around. Kind of appropriate to see Miller in this kind of role given his recent indiscretions, but he does hold your gaze like a vice in this film with his incredible line delivery and emotional vacancy. Reilly was an interesting casting choice as the father because he’s the kind of actor I never associate with dramatic roles. He was good in the role, but I could never shake the feeling that he wasn’t quite right somehow, perhaps that just me typecasting but the fact that he’s usually such a funny guy just distracted me at times from the seriousness of the film.
There was one other element that didn’t sit right with me, and that was the films use of licensed music. When licensed songs are used in a film it should be for good reason as far as I’m concerned. Yet the strange song choices for this film feel like director Lynne Ramsay just chose some random pop songs she liked, and stuff that wasn’t even current at the time of the film’s release or relevant to the year the scenes took place in. It drew me out of the film when the inclusion of an original score would have had a far more powerful effect I feel, or at least use the songs in more meaningful ways.
We Need To Talk About Kevin is a tough film to talk about because of its subject matter. It also doesn’t stick the landing in a lot of areas making it not exactly the best example of how to approach school shootings in a film. But I would say it’s a starting point for how to approach this kind of subject matter artistically. Art is designed to get people talking, and people need to be talking about America’s gun problem…so as far as I’m concerned, a film like We Need To Talk About Kevin is something we should be looking at to start sparking these conversations before any more families need to bury their children.
We Need To Talk About Kevin is a tough film to talk about because of its subject matter. It also doesn’t stick the landing in a lot of areas making it not exactly the best example of how to approach school shootings in a film. But I would say it’s a starting point for how to approach this kind of subject matter artistically. Art is designed to get people talking, and people need to be talking about America’s gun problem…so as far as I’m concerned, a film like We Need To Talk About Kevin is something we should be looking at to start sparking these conversations before any more families need to bury their children.