Review of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) by Alexander Y — 11 Dec 2012

First of all let me start by saying the movie was incredibly made. The performances by everyone were brilliant, especially Tilda.

The direction and cinematography was perfect. But my unsettling issue was I do not believe a child is born evil and disconnected.

Like the majority of the movie leads you to believe. I saw from the moment Kevin was born his mother was cold and unnurturing. Not a.

Sign of motherly behavior when he was an infant. When Kevin is seen crying in the hospital- it is his father who is trying to comfort him, while Eva sits back and looks irritated. Later at home she holds baby Kevin out at arms length while he is obviously screaming and crying. She does not cuddle him, hold him close to her as he cries, nor does she investigate as to why he might be crying!? Wet diaper, hunger, colic ??

If she did not know why she could have tried to find out. I am not trying to rewrite the book or screenplay, I am just emphasizing why Kevin became so dysfunctional... So we as parents can grow a sociopathic very easily by not showing and teaching emotional love at an early age. That is what makes this movie a scary movie. Then the scene where she stands by a jackhammer.

To drown out the screaming baby- when she could sit down and hold him and love on him- soothe him- maybe at home in a quieter place say maybe a rocking chair. My point is.

I feel the writer wants you to know that if a baby does not feel a closeness from someone early on - they don't develop normally- don't learn to trust, and by the time they are 5 years old, their personality is formed already. So as a result we have an angry cold indifferent child who does not know how to receive love much less give it.

It is then a child needs professional help.

Nothing was done then or the rest of his time growing up- until finally he did what he did.

It's message never tells you why he did what he did- but evokes thought as to why Kevin was the way he was- which asks the age old question- Can a baby be born bad? I don't think so.