Originally Posted by
Ricky
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The film follows Eva, a young woman coping with the aftermath of an “incident” (not revealed until later in the film) caused by her son, Kevin.
The film focuses on Eva’s character and her mentality, providing the perfect opportunity for Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton to shine in the role. And she does. Swinton carries the film with such ease, making the viewer care about character first and plot second. Whether through subtle facial expressions or dead-honest disclosures of worries or opinions of Kevin and his dangerous acts, she creates a true and believable character that is as multi-faceted as Kevin is mysterious.
Throughout the near two hour runtime, the film’s subject matter lends itself to themes of mothering, love, abandonment, mental disorders, posing the question of how do you react when you simply do not love your own child? It is this question that is the basis for Eva’s character and the film as a whole, as she cannot distinguish what of Kevin’s personality is nature versus nature. Is Kevin’s destructive acts and personality due to Eva’s mothering (or lack thereof)? Is Kevin mentally damaged? Or is he merely just a bad seed? The film poses such questions, planting seeds that support numerous interpretations, allowing the viewer to decide for himself the cause of Kevin’s actions and personality.
Despite Swinton’s shining performance, the film is not without its flaws. The film jumps from past to present as Eva recalls memories of her life pre-Kevin, Kevin’s youth, etc., leading up to the present. While it’s easy enough to distinguish “when” we are in the film, the film doesn’t possess as smooth of a quality as it could have. The result is often quick-cut and questionably illogically placed scenes.
If nothing else, the film can be praised for its raising of some taboo subject matters and as told through the perspective of a mother, exploring whether being a mother has any influence on mothering. The film does lag in places, but Swinton keeps the viewer actively engaged in the film’s central characters, making us wonder why we need to talk about Kevin.
7/10