If you know me, you know that I love movies. One movie that's started to climb the list of my all-time favorites, and will most likely be number one by the time this article is published, is Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin. Based on Lionel Shriver's novel, the movie focuses on a mother trying to understand and connect with her strange son. As he grows up, Kevin becomes increasingly more sinister, leading to his shocking final act.
Overall, the film is an excellent adaptation of the novel, which tells Eva's story through letters. At first I was a little skeptical about how Ramsay would adapt it. I was expecting voice-over narration of Eva's letters, explaining what was happening and how she felt about it. However, Ramsay's decision to present the story the way that she did worked perfectly. It begins with present day Eva, after Kevin's main event. Eva, played by Tilda Swinton, goes about her life, dealing with outraged people who were affected by Kevin's actions. As the film progresses, there are flashbacks of her attempting to spend time with Kevin and be a good mother to him, but to no avail.
Of course, part of what makes a movie worth watching, especially with literary adaptations, is whether the cast is able to bring the characters to life on screen, and certainly did. Tilda Swinton, both as present day Eva and flashback Eva, perfectly shows the distress she was constantly in when dealing with Kevin (before and after the incident), and the frustration she dealt with when her husband (John C. Reilly) wouldn't listen to her about Kevin's personality. I thought the contrast between the two was intriguing, and helped emphasize Eva's plight. Ashley Gerasimovich, playing Celia, was the sweet, innocent little girl who gave Eva no grief. Compared to Eva's relationship with Kevin, the one she has with her daughter is one that also works as a nice contrast. Swinton and Gerasimovich work well together to create that relationship. Finally, the Kevins. Rock Duer plays Kevin as a young toddler, who gave his brief yet memorable performance as a child most would probably argue is just "acting normal," when he was really acting in spite towards Eva. Jasper Newell takes on Kevin from around ages six to eight, again creating, and adding on to, the creepy, sociopathic personality. Finally, Ezra Miller portrays Kevin as a teenager, carrying the character through the rest of the film. Him and Swinton are my favorite duo of the film. I think they work excellent together on-screen, and watching how Eva interacts with teenage Kevin makes the film all the more worth watching.
**Warning: Spoiler alert ahead if you don't already know what Kevin did.
For me, one of the most chilling moments happens near the end of the film, when Kevin is walking out of the gym after killing his classmates. It's not necessarily knowing what the act itself is that struck me, rather, it was how calm Kevin was, fully aware of what he had done. He walked out of the school as if it were just another normal day, chewing gum, cooperating fully with the police. Before he's put into the police car, he gives Eva one final smirk, a "haha, I showed you." It isn't until he looks back as he's in the car that he shows any sign of understanding what was going to happen to him. A large part of what makes it stand out to me is Swinton and Miller's performances, of course. Swinton clearly displays the shock and disbelief of Eva upon realizing who was responsible for the shooting in the gym. Miller, as I've mentioned before, brings Kevin's creepy personality to life in a way that almost makes you believe he's not just a character.
Although there's so much more about Ramsay's extraordinary film I could talk about like the cinematography, the impact of sound, set-design, and that ending, it's one you need to watch to really understand why it's one I'll always admire. The next time you're looking for something to watch, turn on We Need to Talk About Kevin. You won't regret it.
