A disturbing, yet fascinating look into Parenthood vs Psychopathy

Modern film-making has taken to the idea that “shock value” comes from not just good writing, acting and direction, but also from gory and often violent moments that place everything into a form of context.
Thankfully, “We Need To Talk About Kevin” does not need to resort to those kind of shock values, and relies on a much more psychological aspect to the presentation of it’s horrors. Yet this doesn’t mean to say the film does not have it’s issues, all of which we’ll discuss here.

Based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver, the film looks closely at the debate of Nature vs Nurture, and how parenting and genetics can and does influence the developing minds of children, especially those with inherent issues and conditions.
Directed by Lynne Ramsey, she crafts a genuine atmosphere of unease and tension through very tightly written dialogue. The editing is also on-point and only lets up the tension on a few occasions.

This is the story of Eva Khatchadourian, a successful travel writer who has enjoyed life across the globe, and one day meets Franklin. Soon they are married and Eva falls pregnant, which upends her life. Kevin is born and soon demonstrates there are potential problems afoot with his behaviour. All of which have a negative impact on Eva and her ability to cope.
As Kevin grows, so does his behavioural problems, resulting in a divide between the parents, where one believes Kevin can do no wrong, and the other is a victim to Kevin’s gaslighting and manipulation.
Eva falls pregnant once more to a daughter, Celia. Thankfully, Celia is not plagued with the same issues her older brother has, but this results in Celia also becoming a target of Kevin.
The film concludes with an example of the events often seen in America where the horrors of mass killings is a part of real, everyday life.

The Cast

Tilda Swinton plays the character of Eva, and plays the part so extremely well. Sometimes, I felt like I was actually peering into the life of a struggling mother, rather than watching a dramatization. John C Reilly plays her husband Franklin. This casting choice is probably the one that took me by surprise the most. Usually you’ll see Reilly in comedy films (The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story etc), with the very occasional serious role (The Perfect Storm). For me, this is where the film and casting falls a bit flat. That’s not to say John C Reilly is a bad actor, far from it. I just think he was the wrong choice for this role.
Kevin is portrayed by Ezra Miller, later of The Flash fame in the DCEU. This casting, in my opinion is beyond inspired, not just because Miller hits it out of the park with his performance, but because later in life Miller actually has real psychological issues of his own, and knowing this, I often wonder was part of the performance actually Miller showing some of his own character traits? I guess we’ll never know. However, his performance is chilling, clever and very convincing.

Ezra Miller as Kevin / We Need To Talk About Kevin

The Script

Written by Lynne Ramsey and then-husband Rory Kinnear, the script is adapted quite closely to the novel of the same name. The major differences here is that the dialogue has been heavily stripped back in favour of it’s visuals, which we’ll get into a little later.
While the script is very sparse, where it does have something to say, it does so with brevity and intelligence, and often lets uncomfortable silences in just the right places convey the emotion of the moment. This doesn’t mean the writing here is a masterpiece, but rather the pacing is the masterpiece. The dialogue is short, sometimes too short, and leaves you, the viewer to work out many things for yourself. This in itself is not a bad thing, but could be boring for some viewers.
Where the script utterly shines, is in how the writers of both the script and the novel understand adolescent psychopathy without bias or compromise.

The Score

This is where the film differs from it’s more mainstream counterparts. The music, or lack thereof, is designed to enhance the dread of the scenes, rather than convey a specific moment. This makes the score so vastly different from many other movies, and it’s used to great effect. The haunting strings, and the use of longwave radio static really adds to the atmosphere.
Yet interspersed throughout the film are tracks by Buddy Holly, The Beach Boys and others, to break up the monotony of the droning soundscape before it. This can be a little jarring, but I strongly suspect this entirely by design.
The soundtrack was created by Jonny Greenwood from the band Radiohead.

Special and Visual Effects

This is one of those films where absolutely everything is done in-camera, with no CGI whatsoever. While there are no real scenes where any CGI could really be used, and the scenes that do use practical effects are very well crafted and used. For the most part, the effect isn’t what you necessarily see, but rather, is implied through clever camera work and editing. In terms of VFX, what you are getting here is a very raw film, and it adds to the immersion far more than any CGI could offer.

Editing and Direction

This film can be, and should be considered quite “arthouse” in it’s presentation. Melancholic moments interspersed with dialogue and tension really fill out the film, but it can be distracting and sometimes confusing, again, being left to work it all out for yourself. Ramsey directs with real passion in this film and draws the best out of her cast, with the exception of John C Reilly who I think is a serious miscasting of the role. and it shows in how the characters interact with the audience. The editing is very tight, yet feels at times very loose and almost carefree. It can be distracting and the use of the colour red in many scenes shows us the horror and dread of life after traumatic, life-altering events. The directing and editing in the film really add and enhance the mood and atmosphere, to an almost unbearable point.

Blu-Ray Disc and Extras

The transfer on this disc is quite good, and while some scenes do appear as very grainy, I suspect it was shown this way in the theatres. I experienced no issues on playback, which is always a good thing.
The extras on this disc are, well, extremely sparse. You’ll get some cast interviews which are rather boring, and the trailer to the film. That’s it!

Overall Thoughts

I suspect this film will not hit the mark for many people, not because it’s a bad film, but because it does not follow conventional routes in modern film. Yes, it’s almost arthouse in nature, and can be confusing on your first watch, but by the end, you’ll understand the visual narrative far better than when you started.
Also, the subject matter is a hard pill to swallow. We can’t shy away from atrocities committed by our younger generations, but to delve deeply into the psychology of the people behind it which does not stop at the aggressor, really hits home. Yet this is all conveyed through exceptionally clever suggestion rather than overt scenes of violence. Here, the violence is psychological!

I give this film…

Also available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play & Sky Store