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Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Ashley Gerasimovich, Ursula Parker ... see more see more... , Jasper Newell , Rocky Duer , Siobhan Fallon

A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin explores the factious relationship between a mother and her son. Tilda Swinton, in a bracing, tour-de-forc... read more read more...e performance, plays the mother, Eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevolence of her first-born child, Kevin (Ezra Miller). Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva's own culpability is measured against Kevin's innate evilness. -- (C) Oscilloscope

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175 critics

R, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Release Date: January 13, 2012

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DVD Release Date: May 29, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (1,598)

  • hobster1
    May 9, 2012
    hobster1
    We Need to Talk about Kevin is a study of the very nature of evil. A dissertation, if you will, on the factors that develop the personality of a human being. Can someone be born bad or is it learned? At the center is Tilda Swinton's performance. We feel sympathy, then outrage. At... read more times we want to rebuke her but then we forgive her. The justification for these emotions is often brutally vague, even to ourselves. Yes, director Lynne Ramsey raises more questions than she answers, but that's the point. This is a drama ripe for discussion without clear cut solutions. She presents an interesting argument. The subject is sure to provoke a reaction and it's definitely one worth "talking about".
  • fb1038944442
    March 26, 2012
    fb1038944442
    We Need to Talk... is an over the top 'bad seed' horror movie masquerading as a art house indy about a social problem. It's consistenly absorbing, because of director Lynne Ramsay's penchant for original, mezmerizing images and because of its grotesque, melodramatic, incredible p... read morelot twists. It's about a travel writing mom and her photographer husband who have raised a problem child from infancy. Even as a baby this malevolant demon manipulates his mom by willfully defying potty training. From then on, he pulls off one heinous scheme after another, and Eva goes more deeply into blaming herself and trying to rectify the unrectifiable, since Kevin is the spawn of Satan.The film, jumps around in time from Eva's happy pre-motherhood days as a travel writer writhing in tomatoes at the Tomatino in Spain to the final visit in prison after Kevin's final act of horror. It's told completely through Eva's point of view, and she is probably an unrealiable narrator, who can't get her head out of her belly button. So it's unclear whether we are every seeing objective truth or a woman's internal demons making up stories. Eva, played by a morose Tilda Swinton is the only character with identifiable human behaviour in the film. She is excellent, but everyone else gets to play one dimensional archetypes. The amazing three young actors who play the title character at different ages are terrific, especially the teenaged Ezra Miller, but they are playing a soulless monster, Hannibal Lecter without the empathy. John C. Reilly, welcome in any film, is miscast, and has no help from Ramsay and the script by playing a clueless doofus dad, who is manipulated totally by his evil son, and has zero chemistry with Swinton.We Need to Talk... could have been an interesting meditation on nature vs. nurture, but the Kevin character is given no redeemable qualities except intelligence, and Eva seems like a perfectly well intentioned, averagely flawed mother, certainly not deserving of her, horrible, Greek tragedy fate. If the film had made the question of Eva's culpability in engendering Kevin's evil more ambiguous, the film would have been vastly more interesting.That said, it's grim and depressing but never boring, and full of entertaining scenes of human coldness and cruelty. If that doesn't turn you off, rent it and have a horrible/fun time.
  • fb576433743
    March 11, 2012
    fb576433743
    More than anything, this movie deserves an Oscar nomination for the colour red in the category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film's dripping with subtle placements of red, whether in the form of paint, clothing or household furnishings. And yet there's very little actua... read morel blood on display. This conceit operates as a symbolic reflection of the film's underlying sense of dread and danger, which is rarely addressed on the surface but lurks just out of range, popping up in random and unexpected ways that hint at the bloodshed beneath but never confront it directly...until we reach the inevitable climax. The tension is often quite awful; Tilda Swinton gives an admirable performance portraying a character who we may blame after the fact for failing to act on her suspicions - all of which, of course, prove justified - but who has had to carry the almost unbearable weight of having to confront a terrible truth about her own child. A difficult film which never does itself the disservice of pretending to have all the answers.
  • fb573414556
    March 6, 2012
    fb573414556
    Beautiful and tense. 'We need to talk about Kevin is a seamless bled of drama and Horror with great acting, especially from the lead Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller who plays her deranged son Kevin. This film is outstanding for both the eyes and the mind, and is the second best fil... read morem about a teenage killing spree. I felt like hitting play once it had finished. Watch it.
  • fb1378820053
    March 4, 2012
    fb1378820053
    Tense, suspenseful psychological thriller. We Need to to Talk about Kevin will linger over you for days on end Kevin ( Erza Miller) is terrifying from the day he is born. Brilliant Acting from Tilda Swinton, Erza Miller and John C Reilly and a Brilliant Directing from Lynne Ramsa... read morey. The Film does lack Character Study and is it's biggest Downfall. We Need To Talk About Kevin is a Brilliant Haunting Drama.
  • rubystevens
    March 2, 2012
    rubystevens
    a tough film to watch, the dominant thread being a terrific performance by tilda swinton as the guilt ridden mother of sociopathic kevin. the flashback structure is initially a little confusing but the film soon becomes a train wreck from which one cannot look away. i'm a fan o... read moref lynne ramsay's work and my major problem with the film is that kevin is just too evil. like 'the bad seed', the effect is at times hilarious, intentional or not
  • fb701560354
    February 21, 2012
    fb701560354
    Tilda Swinton delivers a tour-de-force performance as a mother dealing with her first-born, cruel son. We Need to Talk About Kevin is a blend of mystery, drama, and horror, and the use of symbolism adds a great effect. We see the film through the eyes of Eva (Tilda Swinton). I... read moret cuts back and forth in time without knowing what present or past as the characters views and reflects on the events in one jumbled mess. This method is effective in keeping the climax secret from the audience, but in some ways, it was given away too early/obviously and I was just waiting for it to come up and show us exactly what happened. I was surprised with the outcome even so, which was great because it kept me interested and feeling for the characters. We Need to Talk About Kevin is one of the better films of the year, but it's a hard watch, and definitely not for kids. Special mention to Ezra Miller who was also really fantastic.
  • kiriyamakazou
    February 19, 2012
    kiriyamakazou
    They certainly did need to talk about Kevin. I'm fine with difficult subject matter and ambiguous storytelling. But this film just seemed lazy in its search for answers. Tilda Swinton plays a mother that is haunted by something in her past. Her son is in jail, the whole town hate... read mores her, and her husband is no longer around. No prizes for guessing what is going on here. She tries to live a normal life but the town just wont forget the past. She looks at her past to see how her son turned into such a monster. The film angered me by dong nothing of note. Swinton is a terrible mother, as she never seeks help for her son. I've seen kids misbehave, but this film takes it so far. It comes across as some cheap Hollywood horror film. There is no way a sane woman wouldn't reach out or get out. Even when her daughter's safety is put at risk, she does nothing. Then we have Reilly as the father. He believes nothing his wife says, which makes me question why they are married in the first place. Even when Kevin acts out in front of him he he does nothing. Swinton also lives in the worst town in the world. The people are so horrid, you'd probably want to massacre their offspring yourself. I understand the anger, but this entire town is filled with vicious human beings. I was able to connect with one character in this entire film, the boy in the wheelchair. Other than that, you have a film of unbelievable, stupid, and cruel people. The acting is great, and it's shot beautifully. I've already read up about the book which seems more cohesive, and the narrative obviously works better than it does in this film.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    February 14, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A very interesting and questioning piece which reveals a little more each shot. Although slow, it keeps you guessing (if you haven't read the book) what has/is going to happen. The use of the colour red is slightly over the top but still very important, as if Eva's life has been ... read moregiving her little hints as to what is in store for her. Brilliant performances from Swinton, Miller and Newell. It really makes you feel sorry for Eva, as everyone is on her case and not giving her time to grieve, as if she hasn't lost anything herself which is heartbreaking. A must watch.
  • MrMarakai
    February 8, 2012
    MrMarakai
    Scottish director Lynne Ramsay made her debut with the working class Glaswegian drama "Ratcatcher" in 1999. It was seen as an artistic breakthrough for independent cinema in Scotland but sadly it didn't really catch on. She followed it up with "Morven Caller" in 2002 but no-one c... read moreame calling. Then she was basically shafted for the duties on "The Lovely Bones" in 2009 - the studio preferring a more "experienced" director in Peter Jackson. Not to worry though as Ramsay has finally got us talking again.
    Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver, this tells the story of Eva (Tilda Swinton), the mother of a teenager (Ezra Miller) who careers off the rails, and her struggle to cope with the aftermath of his devastating actions, reflecting on the boy's childhood and the breakdown of her relationship with both him and her absent husband (John C. Reilly).
    No less a horror than say, "The Omen" in it's depiction of a troubled and dangerous child. But done in such an elusive and dramatic style that it falls into another genre altogether. If a horror director had gotten their hands on this material it would probably have been a slasher movie, but Ramsay brings dramatic weight. The story progresses with a certain distance from the audience, painting the characters in such a fragmented and elusive light, making us uncertain of the outcome. When the unravelling occurs it's no less effective whether you predicted the outcome or not but that's thanks in large to Ramsay's hypnotic direction and intense performances from her actors. Ezra Miller channels the perfect malevolency and Tilda Swinton is absolutely superb as a mother (and person) at the end of her tether. Unfortunately, the talented John C. Reilly is given very little to do as the loving father in the chaotic household and doesn't quite suit the role. However, the film's main focus is on a mother and her son and any other characters are secondary. For this reason, I found it's elusive nature a bit too distant and hard to identify with the characters.
    An unsettling drama that packs a powerful punch but it's not entirely easy viewing and may leave a bad taste for some.

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Critic Reviews

Steven Rea
March 9, 2012
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Fragmented, dreamlike, a whir of memories and misery, We Need to Talk About Kevin is unsettling, but also somehow unnecessary. Full Review

Tom Long
March 9, 2012
Tom Long, Detroit News

Director Ramsay makes Kevin's impact all the more felt by coming at it from all angles. Full Review

Colin Covert
March 8, 2012
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's a hallmark of "Kevin's" emotional bravery and intellectual honesty that the questions haunt us long after the end credits roll. Full Review

Ty Burr
March 8, 2012
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Some movies punish you, but you take it because you're getting something out of the bargain: an insight, a performance, art, adrenaline. Then there are the movies that punish you for the heck of it. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
March 2, 2012
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Ramsay may be aiming for a character study of Kevin, but she ends up merely listing the ingredients needed to make a murderer. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
March 2, 2012
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Lynne Ramsay's thoughtful, unnerving film works its strange power over viewers who are likely to find themselves as compelled as repelled by its fatally flawed key players. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
March 1, 2012
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The narrative strategy amounts to little more than film-school strenuousness, and in the end it can't conceal the movie's essential crudeness - its coarse, artless dialogue, blank character writing an... Full Review

Peter Howell
February 9, 2012
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

There's no equivocating ... over the excellence of the acting by Swinton and casting find Ezra Miller Full Review

Richard Roeper
January 27, 2012
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

Nothing seared my consciousness like the stunning work from Tilda Swinton in "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Full Review

J. R. Jones
January 26, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The boy (played by a trio of child actors) is so unremittingly evil that the movie begins to feel like a grotesque remake of that old John Ritter comedy Problem Child. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Franklin: Hey, Kev. Listen buddy, it's easy to misunderstand something when you hear it out of context.
    • Kevin: Why would I not understand the context? I am the context.
    • Eva: You just can't get uncomfortable enough can you?
    • Kevin: Uncomfortable? With my own mother?
    • Kevin: It's like this: you wake and watch TV, get in your car and listen to the radio you go to your little jobs or little school, but you don't hear about that on the 6 o'clock news, why? 'Cause nothing is really happening, and you go home and watch some more TV and maybe it's a fun night and you go out and watch a movie. I mean it's got so bad that half the people on TV, inside the TV, they're watching TV. What are these people watching, people like me?
    • Eva: [answer to a question for her asking if she knows where she'll go on afterlife] Oh, yes I do as a matter fact. I'll go straight to hell. total damnation, the whole bit.
    • Kevin: The question is not why he did it, the question is why would anyone make this movie?
    • Eva: Mommy was happy before Kevin came along. Now she wakes up every morning and wishes she was in France!
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