"We Need To Talk About Kevin" is a film made up of memories and dreams. The narrative is fragmented, the spaces and times shift with the length of Tilda Swinton's hair. She is Eva, the mother of Kevin, and wife of Franklin (John C. Reilly). Kevin may or may not be evil and Eva may or may not be crazy, but they are linked together from birth, whether they want to be or not, and the film does a good job of maintaining a certain amount ambiguity in it's depiction of their relationship. The audience spends much of the movie piecing together not only the story, but the realities that the characters perceive.
"Kevin" is one of those movies whose plot is actually quite simple, but it unfolds in an intentionally deceptive way. Some audience members will be turned off by that, and some will telegraph the resolution well in advance, but that's the point. The pieces are all there, the movie is just putting them together. As a result though, some people might find the ending underwhelming, but if there's one thing I've learned from watching movies, it's that most of the time the best ending is the most obvious.
I liked the movie a lot, even in spite of the nearly year-long hype I had for it. It is perhaps a little too stylish, but I have a feeling that it will age well, and upon future viewings, the style will not be so distracting.
--Popkoff
No comments:
Post a Comment