‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ is a 2011 drama and thriller
adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s novel of
the same name. The film is directed by Lynne Ramsey and stars both Ezra Miller
and Jasper Newell as Kevin and Tilda Swinton and John C Reilly as Eva and
Franklin; Kevin’s tormented parents.
Well, if you’re going to take one thing away from seeing
this film, it’s that you’ll be seeing red days after you’ve finished watching
it. Red is absolutely everywhere throughout the film and it looms threateningly
from almost every scene in Eva’s present, underpinning a mother’s guilt at her
failure in bringing up a sadistic and evil child. Strawberry jam, red lights,
the red paint splashed on Eva's house… The list goes on. The scene which strikes
me as particularly effective is when a gaunt Eva attempts to seek solace in
another aisle from a woman during the grocery shopping scene and is framed
completely by red Campbell soup tins. This suggests she cannot escape, try as
she might, from her guilt and lead a normal life.
We feel (or I felt) not disgust as the other characters
project, but pity towards Eva; Franklin seems to have abandoned her, her work
life is mundane and unfulfilling due to her low self-esteem and the hatred she
seemingly conjures up towards her. As Eva's work colleague points out probably
quite rightly, who else is going to want her now? It’s as though guilt, mystery, love, evil and of course the
colour red have all been thrown into a blender and whizzed up to create this
super emotionally charged and brilliant thriller.
But just what is the bloomin' secret! Those of you who have read the book will know the horrible answer and ending which is constantly and tantalisingly being dangled in front of the audience
like a carrot. Trust me though; it is absolutely worth waiting an hour
and a half for!
Film poster from Minimal Movie Posters.
