We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - Lyne Ramsey

Plot - Explores the fractious relationship between Eva (Tilda Swinton) and her son Kevin (Ezra Miller)......

Thoughts - Talked about quite a bit here and I'm one of those that liked the film quite a bit; Tilda Swinton is absolutely perfect as Eva, giving a stand-out performance of a woman dealing with grief, regret and guilt all with a certain constrained stillness about her. Ramsey commented on how Swinton with her height added to her character since Eva was trying to make draw herself in away from judging eyes yet physically stood out from the crowd like a gangly swan and she's right. Swinton looks every inch the woman whose been through the wringer, transformed from a successful career woman into a shell of who she was due to childbirth/the presence of a 'destructive' male is a bit too obvious for me. The film pivots on that central mirrored relationship between the two from Eva's ambivalence/dislike during pregnancy which is reciprocated as Kevin grows up and for the most part it works really well. Ezra Miller as the older Kevin does a decent job matching Swinton in some of her posture/mannerisms and while occasionally descending into 'cartoon-supervillany' is for the most part suitably horrific.

I haven't read the book so have no idea how faithfully or successfully Ramsy has translated the text and I do find myself agreeing slightly with some criticisms in that it sometimes feels a bit obvious with some of the setup and its portrayal of middle class suburbia. Ramsey is accomplished in her direction and use of colour so it's always an absorbing watch. Overall one of the better films I've seen this year.

7.5/10