We Need To Talk About Kevin

[matt35mm]

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly

Eva puts her ambitions and career aside to give birth to Kevin. The relationship between mother and son is difficult from the very first years. When Kevin is 15, he does something irrational and unforgivable in the eyes of the entire community. Eva grapples with her own feelings of grief and responsibility. Did she ever love her son? And how much of what Kevin did was her fault? -- (C) UK Film Council

----------------------------------------------------

This was a last-minute addition to Fantastic Fest, and I was thrilled to be able to go see it. I'm pretty sure that it's my favorite film of the year so far, and I can't wait to see it again.

MY FULL REVIEW

Takeaway:

"The visual and aural sophistication is unmatched–I was deeply inspired to see a filmmaker in such control of every detail. Every single shot, every scene, every link between scenes, every sound, every song choice, all so beautifully done and put together, achieving a quality nothing short of miraculous. I was nearly in tears at how beautiful this film is. Ramsay is clearly inspired by the Terrence Malick and David Lynch of yore, and in the film's strongest moments, she surpasses these old masters, creating a whole new level of etherial cinematic beauty. A new bar has been set."

[O.]

I've literally read nothing about this film and am dying to watch it. I'll keep it that way to keep from spoiling anything at all, walk in there blind. With John C. Reilly in it, and Jonny Greenwood providing the score, I'd watch it even if it was presumed to be shit.

[Jeremy Blackman]

We need to talk about a better title.

Nah just kidding, it's actually a great title.

[I Love a Magician]

this would've much better with fewer scenes of kevin. everything else was very strong (the editing in particular is great) but kevin was almost a caricature of a sociopath.

[matt35mm]

Agreed. But the more I think about this movie (and I've been lucky enough to see it twice), the more I think of the whole thing as Eva's warped point of view, which slightly softens that criticism of how caricatured Kevin is, because it's filtered through Eva's knowledge of what Kevin has done. We never really objectively see Kevin. I've read the book, too, which is all told through Eva's letters to her husband, so it's definitely the cause that there is no material about Kevin in the book that is not filtered through Eva.

But the whole thing is just so well put together that I find it hard to criticize it. I'm just happy to swim in these waters.

[I Love a Magician]

Agreed. But the more I think about this movie (and I've been lucky enough to see it twice), the more I think of the whole thing as Eva's warped point of view, which slightly softens that criticism of how caricatured Kevin is, because it's filtered through Eva's knowledge of what Kevin has done. We never really objectively see Kevin. I've read the book, too, which is all told through Eva's letters to her husband, so it's definitely the cause that there is no material about Kevin in the book that is not filtered through Eva.

i wish this didn't seem like a cop out but it does. the scenes of the younger kevin are good but i have a hard time thinking that tilda's character (who seems pretty worldly) would see her teenage son in such a clichéd, one-note way.

[matt35mm]

Well like I said, it "slightly softens" the criticism, but I also said that I ultimately agree with that criticism. I don't know how much her being "worldly" has to do with it, because I don't think she's very good about understanding people.

I do think that Kevin is built up to be larger than life in her mind, and that what she sees in him is all the hate that she has ever had, distilled into this little boy. So, in that sense, we never see him objectively and what we do see is exaggerated. But it's true that the result is something that plays as disappointingly one-note.

On second viewing, though, it didn't bother me as much because the movie is not about Kevin. And it's still pretty much my favorite movie of the year.

[DocSportello]

I just finished the film and I was disappointed. I went into it really wanting to love it but came out feeling underwhelmed. Tilda's performance was undeniably great as was the over-all style, but the story, to me, seemed unfulfilled. What I truly wanted was to feel as if her character came to some realization as to where to go from here. I loved how it began with her situation with the house and all the red paint and I thought "this is cool, she's going to clean the house and it's going to act as a sort of baptism; she'll slowly fix this problem she's been handed and find some form of comfort or stability". But rather than have her come into her own, it felt like it was just an excuse to use the color red again (a tool that I will say ultimately served the film wonderfully). I realize the film is tragic, but to what resolve? I found her character to be the exact same at the end as in the beginning. It seemed the film had a strong opinion but I couldn't quite find one. I just don't think it knew what it wanted to say.

I would still absolutely recommend the film. It sticks with you and you will want to discuss it if nothing else. There is a lot to love, but in the end I found there to be more shortcomings than I would have preferred.

[wilder]

Blu-ray on May 29, 2012

[Jeremy Blackman]

LIGHT TO MODERATE SPOILERS

I'm surprised more people haven't raved about this. It's amazing.

Somehow, Kevin's extremes really worked for me. I think it's because the games he played were so evil but so subtle. I agree with Matt that Eva's POV is somewhat unreliable, but given what factually happens in the film, I don't think she's too far off. She simplifies (thus some of the simplified characterizations of Kevin), but I don't think she warps.

Kevin is such a profoundly threatening character. I loved it. He's diabolical in these small, personalized, secret ways that just get to you. Eva is sincerely examining her own culpability, looking for things she did wrong or things she could have done better... but I think she's probably wrong to do so. Even in the final scene, Kevin is probably messing with her. Yes he certainly looks heartfelt, but that could be Eva's unreliable narration. And in the scene where he's sick and seems to have affection for her, he might have just been interested in the bows and arrows bit in the Robin Hood story. (Remember that's what launches his archery fascination.)

I'm having trouble thinking of a film character I've found more chilling than Kevin.

The people who made Martha Marcy May Marlene should have seen this first. Plot and character details aside, it's basically the same movie, better executed. (You kind of have to see both films to see what I'm getting at.) The dual-chronological structure (is there a term for that?) sucked much of the energy out of MMMM, but here it totally and precisely enhanced what it was supposed to enhance. The feeling of dread building up throughout the entire movie was incredible.

[Fernando]

yep, this movie is great.

still pains me that tilda wasnt even nominated here.

and that little shit kevin is the king joffrey of movies.

[Jeremy Blackman]

and that little shit kevin is the king joffrey of movies.

Whoah, yes, perfect analogy. Although Kevin would rip Joffrey apart.

[RegularKarate]

Saw this last night and loved it.
I agree with JB that Mar Mar May Mar is trying to do what this film did a lot better. Not just with the nature of the timeline, but the ambiguity. I felt more like there were the same questions being raised throughout the movie as opposed to a one last "how do we end this?" cliffhanger.

I honestly felt the area the movie was lacking in was her relationship with her daughter. I would have liked to have seen more of a comparison to the way she raised her.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I honestly felt the area the movie was lacking in was her relationship with her daughter. I would have liked to have seen more of a comparison to the way she raised her.

Me too, but when I really think about it, I think the restraint in that department was admirable. There are still 2 or 3 key mother/daughter scenes that I think do the job sufficiently. Anything more, and I might have felt too manipulated, especially after some of the starkness of Kevin's characterizations.

Actually I found the daughter's interactions with Kevin to be more powerful. The mother/daughter relationship is obvious, but the Kevin/daughter relationship is interesting. How he exploits her sweetness and does all these somewhat typical big brother things (calling her stupid, making her fetch beverages, playing the game with the tinsel) that have just enough menace in them to be terrifying in context. (He's the context.)

[Jeremy Blackman]

One other response to what you said, RK. I don't think "the way she raised her" is really the issue. I don't blame her at all, and I think she even blames herself too much. The issue is how each kid responded.

SPOILERS

We saw Eva try all those things with Kevin... playing with him, teaching him, loving him, nurturing him, trying to be positively involved in his life. Even when his response, repeatedly, was to try to destroy her soul, she always eventually tried again. That's part of her tragedy. These attempts went through his adolescence, all the way up to the shooting ("Want to do something Saturday?" / "I might be tied up"), and even through the end of the movie. (She wants to believe she's finally broken through in that final scene, but I'm not convinced.)