We Need to Talk About Kevin

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Release Date: 2011

After all the buzz regarding this movie died down, I took the plunge and watched this movie. A disturbing film on all accounts. This is not a film for the squeamish and doesn't need multiple viewings. All actors did a phenomenal job with their parts, especially the performers portraying Kevin.
Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver, this movie explores the relationship between mother and child which poses the question, what would it look like if the mother didn't like her child?  This film shows the development of Kevin from toddler to teenager and his relationship with his mother. Additionally, his ultimate "fuck you" to his mother culminates into a well-known tragedy sweeping this country every day.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is not a movie one watches and can forget. This is cinema that stays with you, for better or for worse. Lynne Ramsay has a fantastic eye for story which can also be said for her cinematographer. A detail which can fly over audiences' heads or prod them in an icky way is watching Ezra Miller (as Kevin) eat or play with his food. Those close up shots of his hands or mouth are disturbing in a way you can't put into words. This is pure horror. The element of a feeling - a thrill (not a good one) that seeps under your skin; makes your insides fragile; and ultimately, induces crying (like it did me) because of empathy and/or sadness for the characters.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a movie to be seen. This film is important in opening up a discourse surrounding teen violence, motherhood, and everything in between. This is cinema at its greatest. Do yourself a favor and watch it now.