We Need To Talk About Kevin

Having watched Beautiful Boy last year, I was aware of the prevalence within Hollywood of approaching the Columbine-esque nature of teenage killers. Whilst America's right-wing media (normally led by Fox News) continues to blame all forms of media, including products Fox produces itself, there is still a lingering fear that no one really notices what triggers such violent - and seemingly unfounded - acts of mass murder

We Need To Talk About Kevin is am ambitious project in that it provides a slow-burner of a film, one which documents the journey and challenge that is bringing up a rebellious, bad-mannered child who doesn't want to take a safe or considered route in life.

We see various scenes from Kevin's life. As a toddler, he's unruly, as a young boy he ignores all instructions and only ever seeks to have his own way in life. For many, the first 45 minutes will be somewhat tiresome and forgettable. So I thought, myself.

However, the film really comes into its own in the second half, as we see just how truly evil, vindictive - and more worrying - how calculated Kevin really is. As him and his mother (played by Tilda Swinton) eat dinner in a swanky restaurant, he specifically tells her what she wants from the experience, and openly mocks the idea of a happy family. Kevin's only concerns in life are for himself, his ego, nis narccicism, and to make sure anyone who tries to stop this will be harmed. The one strange note however, is his love and adoration for his father, an aspect of the story which doesn't seem to be covered anywhere.

As the second half of the film builds towards the climax, there are shots interspersed of Eva (Swinton) leaving a courthouse, with the general public yelling in the background and sirens blazing. This, combined with flashbacks to Eva removing vandalism from her house, hint at a bigger image. Something that much more harrowing than the tedium that she has endured throughout her life as a mother.

Without spoiling the film's pay-off, I choose only to comment on the strengths of the film. The director, Lynne Ramsay, adopts a quite incredibly appreciation of the significance put upon audio and visuals. Whilst the audience is thrown right into the mix with the shots of sirens, of mobs of parents condemning Eva to hell for what she has brought into the world, we're also treated to the minimalistic shots of her house. A noticeably empty shell of a living. The house has no personality, no sounds of joy or children's happiness. The direct contrast between the bland whites and greys of the house from hell, and the crowded (both auditary and visually) courthouse shots present the polarising - and demonising - nature of Eva's life, brought on by what Kevin has put her (and many others) through.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is an odd film. There are no likeable characters, but we massively empathise with the Mother. Though we rarely see anything in the film's final chapter, it's what we envisage, based ont the 1 hour 40 minutes, that scares us even more. As with the horror genre, it's often what we imagine happening, rather than what actually happens, which scares the audience more.

For that reason, this is a film everyone should watch.

8/10