Watching 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is a harrowing experience. It's not that it's graphic in its portrayal of a high-school killing spree. In fact this film is a model of restraint. Instead, what Lynn Ramsay shows us in 'Kevin' is way more horrific than any amount of blood and guts.
The story focuses on Eva (Tilda Swinton), a widowed mother, who is trying to come to terms with her life after her son killed numerous people. Desperate to find answers she constantly looks back to her son's childhood. She's trying to figure out where the blame lies, even though, in her mind, she's already sure about who's responsible. The strong presence of the colour red in the film seems to suggest Eva's guilt.
But life goes on and Eva is left to find her way in a devastated town. In one painful scene she encounters a mother who lost her son. A panicking Eva hides behind a display as the woman shuffles along aimlessly. For us the two mothers appear strikingly similiar. But where one of them could look for solace with her loved ones another could not.
The most intense moments involve Kevin's interactions with his mother. The boy, played by three different actors but most prominently by Ezra Miller, is cold and unfeeling. To his grief-stricken mother he is a monster; an unstoppable force hell-bent on hurting her. Eva's husband (John C. Reilly) doesn't understand; he doesn't see Kevin the way she does.
The movie remains very ambiguous about Kevin's motives. This is Eva's story and her state of mind influences the way it is told. She appears to believe the boy murdered his father, his sister and multiple others in a desire to hurt her. Still, we are unable to see if there is any truth to this. It's a clever trick and Lynne Ramsay uses it beautifully.
The relationship between Eva and Kevin doesn't really change until the very last scene when the boy finally shows something resembling regret. At last Eva realizes she didn't raise a thing but a person. It's a solitary moment of hope in a film which leaves you battered and bruised.
'We Need to Talk About Kevin' owes much of its succes to the performances. Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller create a convincing intensity in their scenes. Eva and Kevin are powerful creations and therefore both actors deserve to be praised.
But life goes on and Eva is left to find her way in a devastated town. In one painful scene she encounters a mother who lost her son. A panicking Eva hides behind a display as the woman shuffles along aimlessly. For us the two mothers appear strikingly similiar. But where one of them could look for solace with her loved ones another could not.
The most intense moments involve Kevin's interactions with his mother. The boy, played by three different actors but most prominently by Ezra Miller, is cold and unfeeling. To his grief-stricken mother he is a monster; an unstoppable force hell-bent on hurting her. Eva's husband (John C. Reilly) doesn't understand; he doesn't see Kevin the way she does.
The movie remains very ambiguous about Kevin's motives. This is Eva's story and her state of mind influences the way it is told. She appears to believe the boy murdered his father, his sister and multiple others in a desire to hurt her. Still, we are unable to see if there is any truth to this. It's a clever trick and Lynne Ramsay uses it beautifully.
The relationship between Eva and Kevin doesn't really change until the very last scene when the boy finally shows something resembling regret. At last Eva realizes she didn't raise a thing but a person. It's a solitary moment of hope in a film which leaves you battered and bruised.
'We Need to Talk About Kevin' owes much of its succes to the performances. Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller create a convincing intensity in their scenes. Eva and Kevin are powerful creations and therefore both actors deserve to be praised.
Lijkt me een hele gave film!
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