Wednesday Movie Night: We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

Lynne Ramsay is a little director who finally got a bit of attention with We Need to Talk About Kevin.  With her very artsy attributes you can tell what has gotten her the little indie spot she has. The cast is what really makes this movie though because they fit so perfectly with the roles given.

Eva and Franklin decide to step into the foray of parenthood when they have their son, Kevin. There is something about Kevin though that is difficult for Eva to love, and it leaves her questioning herself as a mother when she believes she is failing. No amount of trying to correct Kevin will turn the path of where he is headed though. He has hatred that no one can really find the root of, and as he grows older his abilities to manipulate, and his vicious personality grow into one that gets him more attention that anyone ever could have expected.

To enjoy this you might have to stay with it for 30 minutes to allow it to smooth out. It is a really rough start of constant moving scenes that flash back and forth almost causing you to feel sick. It is a lot of mess to absorb quickly. Perhaps, it is a technique to show the whirlwind of winding up with Kevin in the way they did. It's the acting that keeps you hoping to see it start to level out into a better story though.

Tilda Swinton is a perfect fit as Eva. She has the look, an the personality to convey in this film that allows us to sense her confusion, and want to love all the while not saying much. Swinton has so much talent, and it doesn't seem she gets that much credit for it. There is also John C. Reilly who just doesn't stand out much, and while he portrays the naive father part well he seems to fade behind Swinton, and Ezra Miller's performance. Miller sort of makes his first real appearance as an actor with his portrayal of Kevin. He comes off cold, and even in the way he speaks to his parents you can feel his hatred.

The biggest setback for the film is the fact you have to sit through a lot of flashbacks with little talking. Often you'll wonder if people who haven't read the book will follow it as well, or even be that connected to the characters because the lack of development that takes place. When thinking back to the movie there doesn't seem to be any left over feelings regarding the characters nor even the twist at the end. There are some parts that still seemed to have no place though they were shown.

In consideration of recent events this film probably brings up the topic of a very touchy subject America is dealing with as far as weapons. There could be interesting discussions that stem from this more so because of those tragedies than the movie itself. What's interesting is that this movie had a lot of relevant potential, but because of some of the editing choices it lost it's vibe regarding the impact.

Rating 3 of 5.