You need to see 'Kevin'

Being a parent is hard work. Watching movies about parents who rough it out to eventually reap familial joy can be harder work.

But what happens when there is no joy to reap in being a parent?

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is hard to swallow, pushing uncomfortable issues down the audiences’ throat, from post-partum depression to Columbine-like murders.

British director Lynne Ramsay does a remarkable job not only doing justice to the haunting plot taken from Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel, but also infusing the film with impressive cinematography. Ramsay’s ability to stick to the novel lies in her simplistic focus on the inexplicable ties between mother and son.

With a phenomenal performance as Eva, the pill-popping societal outcast who owes her isolation to her maniacal son, Tilda Swinton ditches her British accent to reveal a perturbed visage. John C. Reilly provides a brilliant supporting role as her husband, Franklin.

The film breaks linearity and shuffles back and forth in time, highlighting the discrepancies in their individual relationships with their disturbed
son, Kevin.

The film is not an easy watch, but it is a film that needs to be seen.