We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Deeply disturbing and not for the faint of heart, this realistic story of a mother dealing with her demon son is powerfully well done and has deservedly earned quite a few wins and nominations, mostly for star Tilda Swinton and director/co-writer Lynne Ramsay. I first wrote about Swinton in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and then in I Am Love I called her an intense dramatist, which remains true of her portrayal of Eva. I saw Ramsey's Morvern Callar (2002) on DVD after reading that it had won many awards and wasn't all that impressed. Now I'm impressed (I think Jack is, too). Ramsey co-wrote the script with Rory Kinnear (his debut), from the novel by Lionel Shriver (née Margaret Ann). I'm certainly glad I didn't research the book before seeing the movie, because the climax is in every synopsis of the novel, from the jacket to the reviews, and you know how much I hate spoilers. However, after you see the movie, you might be interested in reading it. The first five pages are on the amazon page, and they're quite well-written. To be fair, the climax isn't a complete surprise, although certain elements are shocking, but my belief is that it's better not to know going in. Kevin is played by three terrific actors, with kudos to casting director Billy Hopkins (an amazing 212 credits on imdb) for the strong resemblances (see this PR photo--not a still from the movie, although all are definitely in character): toddler Rock Duer, elementary schooler Jasper Newell, and 19-year-old Ezra Miller, whom I covered first in City Island and then in Afterschool, which was actually made earlier. This kid is amazing and will be winning Oscars very soon. We wondered how John C. Reilly was going to do in something so dark. He's more than fine, although his character Franklin isn't as tortured as his wife Eva.

There's a lot of flashing back and forward in this movie, but you'll always know because Eva's hair lengths are quite different: long in her carefree single days, short during her early marriage and motherhood, and medium in the present. One trivia fact I learned tonight is that the opening sequence, in which she and her long braids are covered in something red that flows down the street, is that it is supposed to have taken place during the "war of the tomatoes" in Buñol, Spain. And speaking of superficial appearances, Swinton's eyes are unnaturally dark in this, compared with green here and gray here, especially for one so pale.

The music, with no clips available online, is composed by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

Swinton, a mother of twins, said, "I call this the feel-good film of the year, because parents will leave the cinema going, 'There but for the grace of God go I.' And people who don't have children will leave the cinema going, 'There but for the grace of God go I.' So it's a win-win situation, I reckon." Jack and I say it should not be watched late at night, but instead at a time when you can do or see something light-hearted and/or loving afterwards (we saw a matinee on Friday before a swim and dinner), but it's definitely worth seeing. Rottentomatoes' (spoiler alert in the review headlines) audiences agree, giving it 81% to critics' 76%.