We Need To Talk about Kevin

*****

Drama/Suspense/Mystery    Oscilloscope Pictures

Cast: Tilda Swinton (Eva), John C. Reilly (Franklin), Ezra Miller ((Teenage Kevin), Jasper Newell (Kevin at ages 6-8), Rock Duel (Kevin as a Toddler), Ashley Gerasimovich (Celia), Kenneth Franklin (Soweto), Ursula Parker (Lucy).  (R) Running time: 112 minutes.  Written by Lynne Ramsey, Rory Kinnaer, Lionel Shriver. Director: Lynne Ramsey. 

Tilda Swinton”'s character Eva”'s face is fraught with agony and dismay rarely letting a smile break the dark psychological remora with her taunting, sadist, warped son Kevin Ezra Miller), who it seems from birth to be an albatross on the proverbial back of Eva.

From the time Kevin is born he doesn”'t develop like a “normal” child.  He seems unresponsive to Eva when she tries to teach him to talk or rolls a ball towards him and doesn”'t reciprocate.  At a tender age, Kevin spurts out expletives (on human sexuality) stunning his already stressed mother.  The bad seed–Kevin–knows how and when to torment Eva.  As for the father, Franklin (John C. Reilly), an over doting father, Kevin has much more kinship with him than he does with his mother.

Lynne Ramsey”'s “Kevin” is gripping, frightening, psychologically mind-bending and with a tour-de-force performance by Tilda Swinton.  The rumors are correct: Swinton is robbed from being nominated as best actress for 2011.  She should have been chosen over Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

Eva”'s life with Kevin is like living in a torture chamber, like living with a demon.  Kevin plays mean games on his baby sister Lucy (Ursula Parker) too, such as stealing her hamster from its cage.

Franklin seems impervious to Kevin”'s psychotic behavior and his wife”'s near her wit”'s end.  Rather than get psychological help for Kevin, Franklin appeases the dire situation by buying a new house which seems after several years is as barren as the emotional void in their household.  Yet “Kevin” is not a horror film, although horrible things happen, the film is a sad and tragic story but as good as a movie gets in this genre.

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