There are few films that, upon finishing, leave the audience in a state of shock. So much so that no-one knows what to do. Do they get up and leave? Do they sit and mull it over? Do they even speak? It’s rare for a film to end with the audience filing out of the screening in complete silence. This is testament to how bracing and uncomfortable Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s book of the same name can be.
The story follows Eva (Tilda Swinton), the mother of a disruptive
child with sociopathic leanings in the form of Kevin (Ezra Miller), as
she tries to cope with the aftermath of what her son has done and the
way people treat her as a result as well as dealing with the events that
led up to Kevin’s “tipping point”. We see snippets of pre-motherhood
life before quickly moving on to the constant war between mother and
son which starts right from birth leading Eva to become increasingly
more irritated in her son’s existence. We also see snippets of the day
Kevin went over the edge and then the present, in which Eva has to deal
with being the most hated mother in the community.
The film flicks between all of these areas with ferocious speed. It
feels very Memento in that the audience has to piece together exactly
what happened and why things are like this for Eva, although the emotion
of piecing the puzzle together alongside the protagonist who also needs
the puzzle pieced together as in Memento isn’t there. Some of
the hints are entirely unsubtle, such as the oozing jam sandwich and the
wall of tomato soup both symbolising blood, but others such as the use
of red in other places and the bits of eggshell in the omelette take a
keen eye to spot. These hints and the fragmented story gives the viewer
an increased involvement in the film, dragging you right into the
horrors beneath.
The real shining part here, however, is the fierce chemistry between
Eva and Kevin. Tilda Swinton’s performance here may be among one of her
best and Ramsay’s ability to create one of the ferociously evil young
child in the form of young Kevin and then again in teenage Kevin allow
for some intense scenes. Even a simple trip to mini golf turns into a
ferocious battle of wits and what isn’t said says more than what is.
Kevin is smart and has a way with words but those words are filled with
such burning hatred and vitriol whilst Eva is fragile and easily
susceptible to tipping over the edge.
Verdict:We Need To Talk About Kevin is
incredibly uncomfortable. The scorching interactions between Eva and
Kevin are both intense and frightening. This is a film that will stay
with the viewer for at least a few days; questioning where the evil
within Kevin began and making you think about the very idea of
motherhood.
5/5
