We Need To Talk About Kevin Review

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a movie about two horrible parents and one kid who's way too smart for his own good. And by "smart" I mean manipulative and downright evil. It's dark, disturbing, and tackles some pretty tough issues, but I never really felt invested in what was going on.


The one thing I'll say for Kevin is it's shot almost flawlessly. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a single frame that isn't beautiful in some way in that whole movie. Director Lynne Ramsay clearly knows what she wants in the frame, when to move the camera, and when to hold on for that extra beat. Unfortunately, I feel she was a bit overindulgent in some of the visual motifs. The story goes back and forth between past and present, with the present mostly consisting of the lead character, Eva (Tilda Swinton), cleaning up the red paint used to vandalize her home. But there's plenty more splashes of red in the past, whether it be tomatoes, strawberry jam, more paint, or even blood. About halfway through, I was starting to feel like I was being hit over the head with it. Yes, we understand. Red.


But ultimately, I was just not that interested in the subjected matter of the film. This is a movie about a mom who's completely intimidated by her own child. Granted the kid is batshit evil, but what's he going to do when he's four? Arguably, the entire conflict of the film could have been resolved with a good spanking. I just have trouble sympathizing with an adult character who's being pushed around by a child. You're bigger than him! That means he has to do what you say! If God didn't want us beating our children, then he wouldn't have invented belts (ugh, okay, for those who don't know . . . this is hyperbole).


I guess it just comes down to a matter of respect. I never respected Eva because she's a spineless loser, and I never respected Kevin because, well, he's evil (and not even in the cool Darth Vader sort of way). So I never respected their plight. I kind of feel they deserve what they got because they never took action to assure otherwise.


You might like this movie if you enjoy dark, psychologically disturbing thrillers, or if you're into the whole evil kid thing. But if that's not your idea of a good time, I would skip this one. For a different opinion, check out my friend Jordan's review here.