One day, Celia loses one of her eyes from toxic cleaning supplies, and Kevin becomes a prime suspect. Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. There are several red flags in the movie that indicates Kevins volatile dispositions, but an accurate diagnosis is not possible. Kevin predominantly shows signs of antisocial personality disorder, and when it is left unnoticed by his parents, Kevins condition takes a wrong turn. Or to put it differently, Ramsay more or less stays true to the novel's somewhat callow and, at times, hysterical approach to the rich questions of maternal doubt. Plus, she also touches on a potentially big deleted scene that would've seen her cross paths with Krylar (Bill Murray) and teases possible beef with Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). We also did a lot of blue screen work before, which really helps with the imagination. As she leaves, a troupe of tiny ballerinas in tutus run past her. Because children are normally associated with innocence, creepy children are a tried concept in horror films. When the teenage Kevin surprisingly assents to a mother/son date, Eva is hopeful for the opportunity to cultivate a deeper relationship. I felt like I kind of joked with Jeff Loveness on this, but I was like, Did you just watch 300 and write my character? Because it was a lot of like those single line, Get to the tower!, and just kind of like silly one liners and things that felt reminiscent of a lot of those just straight up warrior movies. We're supposed to understand Kevin through Eva's flashbacks, which are indeed confusing, but not chronologically, where the difference lies solely in Tilda Swinton's hairstyle. Also read:Author Lionel Shriver on her early writing, politics, essential reading list and persevering out of 'sheer spite'. The most plausible answer is that Kevin killed the family to hurt his mother. Also, stripes are a striking feature that connects Kevins clothing sense from childhood to adolescence. Eva finally asks why he did it. We Need to Talk About Kevin. Sign up for weekly updates from Busted Halo! Eva was never allergic to being a mother of course. While Eva and Franklin argue over the accident, Kevin taunts his mother by peeling a litchi, with a smug look on his face. Hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina . describes the "nature vs. nurture" debate. She finally gets her excuse to abandon Kevin but doesn't act on it. Some of the content presented on our sites has been provided by fans, other unofficial websites or online news sources, and is the sole responsibility of the source from which it was obtained. Kevin's antics swell into violence during his teenage years, further driving a wedge between his parents and mutilating his little sister Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich) along the way. The film moves without any pattern between past, present and who knows when. The source material for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" was purposely crafted to leave readers wondering who was responsible for the massacre. Kids banging on the door on Halloween in the present evokes a memory of young Kevin throwing all his food at the fridge. Before the film opens, the character referred to in the title of Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, at the age of 15, has massacred a number of his fellow schoolmates. Therefore, the sense of clothing provides a link between the otherwise antagonistic mother and son. Would any interference have prevented him from becoming a killer? For instance, post-partum depression similar to hers is very common and probably didn't do as much damage as she ascribes to it. The non-linear approach makes the somewhat inevitable events more powerful and though Miller is effective as Kevin, younger actor Newell actually impressed me even more. Jake Martin, visit our special Oscars season blog, Movie Minister. Apparently even before he began to talk, Kevin made a vow to punish Eva for her feelings. SPOILERS AHEAD. And of course from there, we learn he perpetrates a mass killing at a school. So what about Franklin? Besides their physical likeness, Eva and Kevin also share a certain coldness, which plays into Eva's self-hatred. In We Need to Talk about Kevin, Eva is literally on trial for parental negligence. This is not entirely his fault. Index | The story goes back to the past to recreate the events that led Eva to her present discontent. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, we have officially entered the dead of winter that time after Christmas and New Years when, Earlier this year my home parish welcomed a new associate pastor. As a baby and toddler, he is merely colicky, irritating and would try the patience of a saint. Starring Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly David Badash. Nature refers to how they were born, while nurture refers to how they were raised. He grows into a spiteful toddler, refusing to say "mommy" and egging on her frustrations. Sometimes Zuzu's petals are all you have to hold onto. She makes one feel her strung to the breaking point tension in scene after scene. The brooding tone of the narrative prepares the audience for a devastating ending, but in hindsight, some of you may have seen it coming. The novel by Lionel Shriver relates the story through a series of letters Eva writes to her husband Franklin. Based on Lionel Shriver's 2003 bestseller of the same name, Lynne Ramsay's 2011 film explores a broken family, mental illness, and the aftermath of a tragedy. I'd be happy to see what they come up with, but, they have more of the understanding of the wildness of the world that they're building. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The film loops in time, proceeding mostly chronologically, with some dips forward and backward. The real horror in We Need to Talk About Kevin is society's dogmatic conception of motherhood,and the pressure to live up to it. So, I think TV being as fast paced as it is, and as kind of chaotic as it can be, it doesn't always set you up for being able to walk into a film where you've had plenty of time to look into everything and prepare. Still, the film should not be overshadowed by its leads performance, as is often the case with female Oscar nominees. Annie Graham in Hereditary is conflicted by feelings of love and hate, resentment and remorse, towards her son. He can't understand her, but don't you suppose he understands her dislike? Try refreshing this page.If the problem persists, contact our support contact our support Eva always wanted a daughter, and as her attention moves from Kevin, he becomes more and more begrudging towards his sister. But Eva is incapable of showing him the love that he deserves, even after trying her best. She has a career as a writer put on hold, while her husband Franklin (O'Reilly, at his most oblivious) carries on. After this episode, Eva and Kevin seemingly become more affectionate towards each other. It's very hard for me to take things seriously, I love to crack jokes and everything, and, I mean, they're so funny off-set, even the guy that played Xolum, James Cutler, he's so funny, and he's just screaming random stuff, when you're trying to be serious, and just all of a sudden, this yell comes out of nowhere, and you're trying to just keep a straight face. An unshakeable experience and a daring experiment in film form, Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin challenged conventional wisdom on what makes for a good adaptation. The past and present intertwine as Eva recalls Kevins formative years from childhood to adolescence, hoping for clues on what went wrong. So, I think it'd be really cool to explore that either in future Quantum Realm stuff or if somehow I got sucked out into the surface world or something, any of that would be fun. The novel explores themes of nihilism, motherhood, the relationship between violence and depravity, and much more. Psychology Today describes the "nature vs. nurture" debate as questioning how both elements impact a person's characteristics. Together, with Hopes parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scotts daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. Does Eva's open contempt for Kevin drive him to darkness? Or maybe I'm somehow getting it mixed up with another film! Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. By contrast with Elephant's oddly diffident lyricism, We Need To Talk About Kevin's expressionistic naturalism has a roiling, post-traumatic nonlinearity. And as serial killers are often tagged as psychopaths, we assume that the menacing nature of Kevin is dormant in him at birth. When the child Kevin is sick and nuzzles close to his mother as she reads, his father comes to the door and is rejected in favor of his mother, the look on Evas face is one of wonder and delight. He's positive, cheerful, disconnected; he always behaves as nicely as he can, and in doing so, suggests his profound cluelessness. It was definitely a challenge to play the straight character to these guys, but it was also kind of like, okay, this is my role. To express concern over a child's habitual malice is coded as monstrous. Kevin's killings, meanwhile, are the absent, invisible center of Ramsay's film. Kevin keeps the secret of how this happens and a strange complicity develops between the mother and son. A young MAN and WOMAN are asleep in a tent. Kevin, it seems, has a method to his madness. That's a deeply human tale, and it calls to us, and I think that's why I see takes on the movie saying that it even encourages the viewer to think evil is in our nature and is immutable. Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such. A lawsuit could force the F.D.A. When Kevin paints Evas room with color splashes, Eva thinks that Kevin wanted to ruin the room, but maybe he really wanted to make it more special. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Don't comment just to troll/provoke. GameStop Moderna Pfizer Johnson & Johnson AstraZeneca Walgreens Best Buy Novavax SpaceX Tesla. Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly. The real monster is expecting nothing less than unconditional love. Ramsay establishes a sense of aloofness in Eva with Kevin still in utero. Menu. Ramsay builds on Shriver's idea of internalised blame with how Eva sees herself following the tragedy. Being a child somehow means they're inherently innocent. It may not strike one as something extraordinary, but one needs to understand that Kevins mind is wired differently. Of course, that mental illness is presumed by viewers. He buys a few locks before the school sabotage and has a decisive plan regarding how to go about it. There was also a really short interaction that I had with Bill Murray, where we released him from holding, because it kind of looks like he died in the movie now, pretty early on. The woman sits up in alarm and shakes the MAN. His attitude towards his son is warmer, but underneath there's no more depth than there is with Eva. ROHAN: You're on a cast with Paul Rudd, David Dastmalchian,William Jackson Harper, and so manyfunny people. And it works - Eva's confrontation was brutally dishonest, but after his reaction she's barely containing her seething rage and the truth of it is all over her face. Instead, it's a personal story about a family or more specifically, a mother (an excellent Swinton) and her troubled son. Yet it is in those infrequent instances of relief, conversion and mercy that the film finds its identity and direction. What makes this all worthwhile is the fact that Tilda Swinton is simply an astonishing actress who can bring off anything. Who's there when Kevin gets sick? Art and Divine Beauty: An Antidote to the Winter Blues, The Prodigal Son: How to Overcome the 3 Lies We Tell Ourselves. If you are having trouble tying loose ends, let us assist you in the process. Speaking with O'Brian following the film's release, she shared her experience on working on the biggest project of her career and how she and director Peyton Reed crafted an elaborate backstory for the leader of the rebellion. At one point, she mockingly. The bed, the gown, and the walls bleed into each other in their cold whiteness, externalising her inner state of mind. There's the Good Mother, like Diane Freeling who travels to another dimension to save her daughter in Poltergeist. Little matters like washing blood red paint off the windows of her diminished home that angry residents have vandalized, become rituals of self-abnegation and penance. I think that she and Jentorra had a huge past together. But her expression is one of strained indifference. With Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell. Her only crime was perhaps hurrying into the role before she was ready. It'd be so much fun. Top Films of the 2010s as voted for by RYM (2021/Final edition), NEW TOURNAMENT: [PPE] RYM Picks the Most Outstanding Acting Performances in Cinematic History, Top Films of the 2010s as voted for by RYM (2020 edition), Top Films of the 2010s as voted for by RYM (2019 edition), Dark/Sinister films that have upbeat music during the credits, Top Films of the 2010s as voted for by RYM (2018 edition), RYM's Preferred Female Performances: 2011, Top Films of the 2010s as voted for by RYM (2017 edition), United Kingdom, United States, 35mm, Color, Dolby Stereo, Literary Adaptation, Artificial Eye, Code Red, Oscilloscope Pictures. You tell me." The name itself Eva is not chosen by chance, echoing the fatally disobedient woman of the Bible, whose act determined the loss of the Garden of Eden. His attitude towards his son is warmer, but underneath there's no more depth than there is with Eva. Mimicking the cyclical nature of trauma, the shot repeats in the climax, where Eva discovers the slain bodies of her husband and daughter. The real horror in the movie is society's dogmatic conception of motherhood, and the pressure to live up to it. In an ordinary movie, there would be scenes in classrooms, meetings with counselors, heart-to-heart discussions between the parents. Eva Khatchadourian, a former travelogue writer, lives in a rundown shack in an American suburb and goes to meet her son. Alec Baldwin has been charged in the southwest state of New Mexico for manslaughter and faces an 18-month prison sentence, as does the film's armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Eva's point of view is obviously not reliable, and her segments are intended to portray that she's entered a cycle of deep self-abuse over having raised a psychopath. We Need to Talk About Kevin : r/books. Jake Martin, visit our special Oscars season blog, Movie Minister.. Therefore, when Kevin shows Eva the scar from the childhood accident, he tells her that it is the most honest thing that Eva ever did to him. I bring what is actually happening and the severity of what's actually happening to level out, I guess, this part of the movie, because on the other side, you got Kang and Janet are being very, very serious too on that side of things. Though unlike the Shakespearean character, the question of Evas guilt has a lot less cut-and-dried answer. The same 7-year-old also says, "I don't give a rat's ass." Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking Mild 35 of 50 found this mild Adults are sometimes shown casually drinking wine. Nicoletta Vallorani in her essay Of women and children: Bad mothers as rough heroes, reads a Biblical metaphor into We Need to Talk About Kevin. The opening shot fades to white, before cutting to a sea of red in the next sequence, foreshadowing the bloodshed to come. In him at birth goes back to the past to recreate the events that Eva! 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