When I learned that We Need to Talk About Kevin was about a high school massacre, several films flashed through my mind, including Elephant (2003)—a stylistic expression of the everyday doldrums of teenage society, and Beautiful Boy (2010)—the destruction of a marriage whose son shot-up the local school. The controversy of a school shooting leaves plenty of room for discussion. Are these teenagers evil? Are they the real enemy, or does the fault lie on outside influences, such as the parents and the mass media? We Need to Talk About Kevin delves into the emotional torment of a mother, whose son locked his school from the outside and performed an unfathomable school massacre. The filmmaker's narrative focus is the mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton), and her turbulent kinship with her son, Kevin, who's portrayed by three actors in different stages of his life.
We Need to Talk About Kevin offers a powerhouse story, which is hard to shake off. The content and performances are up-to-par with the crafty unfolding of the narrative. The audience isn't aware of the specifics of Kevin's violent actions until the end. The film seamlessly inter-cuts between the past—Kevin's upbringing, and the present—Eva, left in solitary, coping with the dreadful aftermath.
Tilda Swinton's Oscar-nominated performance is extraordinary. Undercurrents of tension seep from her every gesture and facial expression.The first key scene behind Eva's psychological dimension is when she walks outside her front porch and observes her house and car vandalized with red paint. The core of the narration is built around the refurbishing of her new home, alone. The images of Eva trying to wash away the red paint is a clever metaphor for how difficult it is to hide her guilt and shame. No matter how hard she scrubs, she will always feel the blood on her hands.
The film explores Kevin's childhood, which includes his relationship with his little sister, Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich), and father (John C. Riley). Riley, along with Swinton, delivered nuanced performances. Kevin always preferred his father over his mother. The father may seem oblivious, but I think the point is that Kevin was born with a cunning, deceptive bone in his body, which overpowers the control of his parents. He comes from a well-to-do family, but clearly, the pleasant social environment cannot tame the boy's inherent anger, which fuels his role as a sociopath. And why is he angry? Is it solely his mother's fault? In my opinion, the filmmaker's perception doesn't point a finger at anyone specific. I feel as though there wasn't anything that the parents could have done differently.
As we learn more about the past and comprehend Kevin's hatred, we see that Eva could not foresee something this traumatic. The film builds to a bone-chilling conclusion, and the one image that will last in my mind is Kevin's room, which Eva furnished to match it before the tragic incident. He's never coming back, but the mother kept every detail from the past. A gesture, which speaks for itself.
*** (out of four stars)
The scenerio seems very like "NIGHT MOTHER," but less violent but yet leaves a mind bending end that no parent would wish upon their off-spring! Would like to see your critic on "Night Mother!" Two great actresses in a drama - drastic ending for a film! Yet, the film comes alive throughout the night of the ups and downs of real life in a small community and a insecure young women dealing with the reality of parenthood is not that easy!
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