They certainly did need to talk about Kevin. I'm fine with difficult subject matter and ambiguous storytelling. But this film just seemed lazy in its search for answers. Tilda Swinton plays a mother that is haunted by something in her past. Her son is in jail, the whole town hates her, and her husband is no longer around. No prizes for guessing what is going on here. She tries to live a normal life but the town just wont forget the past. She looks at her past to see how her son turned into such a monster. The film angered me by dong nothing of note. Swinton is a terrible mother, as she never seeks help for her son. I've seen kids misbehave, but this film takes it so far. It comes across as some cheap Hollywood horror film. There is no way a sane woman wouldn't reach out or get out. Even when her daughter's safety is put at risk, she does nothing. Then we have Reilly as the father. He believes nothing his wife says, which makes me question why they are married in the first place. Even when Kevin acts out in front of him he he does nothing. Swinton also lives in the worst town in the world. The people are so horrid, you'd probably want to massacre their offspring yourself. I understand the anger, but this entire town is filled with vicious human beings. I was able to connect with one character in this entire film, the boy in the wheelchair. Other than that, you have a film of unbelievable, stupid, and cruel people. The acting is great, and it's shot beautifully. I've already read up about the book which seems more cohesive, and the narrative obviously works better than it does in this film.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
(2011)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
19 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers