Review of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) by Mottacritic — 09 Mar 2012
There were, for me, 2 key features of this film that define it. Firstly, the focus on the psychological impact of trying to bring up Kevin and then of the consequences of her actions as a mother are an intelligent way of approaching this story.
Complex emotions including guilt, horror, despair but also love are superbly brought out by Lynne Ramsay and Tilda Swinton. This is the power of the film. The child actors and Ezra Miller are excellent.
The second key feature is the weakness of John C. Reilly's role: I like him as an actor, but this role is weak and out of kilter with the subtlety of the rest of the film in that he ignores obvious signs of Kevin's behaviour and its impact.
A film of this quality demands that his role be more nuanced and show more signs of confusion/worry/disturbance at the way his family is developing. Overall the film is highly watchable and carried by a fine director and lead female actor - and you'll be thinking about it for some time to come.
This review of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) was written by Mottacritic on 09 Mar 2012.
We Need to Talk About Kevin has generally received positive reviews.
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