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IMDbPro

We Need to Talk About Kevin

  • 20112011
  • RR
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
154K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
787
541
Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief -- and feelings of responsibility for her child's actions -- by writing to her estranged husband.
Play trailer1:48
5 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaMysteryThriller
Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be be... Read allKevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
154K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
787
541
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Lynne Ramsay
    • Writers
      • Lynne Ramsay(screenplay)
      • Rory Stewart Kinnear(screenplay)
      • Lionel Shriver(novel)
    • Stars
      • Tilda Swinton
      • John C. Reilly
      • Ezra Miller
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Lynne Ramsay
    • Writers
      • Lynne Ramsay(screenplay)
      • Rory Stewart Kinnear(screenplay)
      • Lionel Shriver(novel)
    • Stars
      • Tilda Swinton
      • John C. Reilly
      • Ezra Miller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 486User reviews
    • 409Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
    • Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
      • 26 wins & 66 nominations total

    Videos5

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:48
    U.S. Version
    United Kingdom
    Trailer 1:40
    United Kingdom
    Indie Spirit Stars Suggest Indie Gems You Must Watch Right Now
    Clip 2:49
    Indie Spirit Stars Suggest Indie Gems You Must Watch Right Now
    "I Am the Context"
    Clip 1:22
    "I Am the Context"
    "An Acquired Taste"
    Clip 1:49
    "An Acquired Taste"

    Photos186

    Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton and Jasper Newell in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Lynne Ramsay and Jasper Newell in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
    Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Eva Khatchadourian
    John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    • Franklin
    Ezra Miller
    Ezra Miller
    • Kevin, Teenager
    Jasper Newell
    Jasper Newell
    • Kevin, 6-8 Years
    Rocky Duer
    Rocky Duer
    • Kevin, Toddler
    Ashley Gerasimovich
    Ashley Gerasimovich
    • Celia
    Siobhan Fallon Hogan
    Siobhan Fallon Hogan
    • Wanda
    Alex Manette
    Alex Manette
    • Colin
    Kenneth Franklin
    • Soweto
    Leslie Lyles
    • Smash Lady
    Paul Diomede
    • Corrections Officer, Al
    Michael Campbell
    • Corrections Officer
    J. Mallory McCree
    J. Mallory McCree
    • Prison Boy
    • (as J. Mal McCree)
    Mark Elliot Wilson
    • Eva's Lawyer
    James Chen
    James Chen
    • Dr. Foulkes
    Lauren Fox
    Lauren Fox
    • Dr. Goldblatt
    Blake DeLong
    Blake DeLong
    • Young Suited Man #1
    Andy Gershenzon
    Andy Gershenzon
    • Young Suited Man #2
    • Director
      • Lynne Ramsay
    • Writers
      • Lynne Ramsay(screenplay)
      • Rory Stewart Kinnear(screenplay)
      • Lionel Shriver(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tilda Swinton became involved as a producer long before she decided to star in the movie.
    • Goofs
      Twice in flashbacks to Kevin's parents in their dating days, a UPS terminal with trucks can be seen in the near background. Those trucks have the new UPS logo, where if the time-frame is correct, the trucks would have had the old logo of a stringed parcel above the UPS Shield.
    • Quotes

      Eva: You don't look happy.

      Kevin: Have I ever?

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 16 May 2011 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Mule Skinner Blues
      Written by Jimmie Rodgers & Vaughn Horton (as George Vaughn)

      Performed by Lonnie Donegan

      (c) 1931 Peermusic International Corp. (USA)

      Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group LTD

      Under license from Universal Music Operations LTD

    User reviews486

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Bad Mother or Evil Seed?
    This is quite simply one of the best films of the year. Even the book's author, Lionel Shriver (a woman) praises the film, calling it 'a brilliant adaptation'. Being a first-time dad, the story fascinated me. What happens if you don't love your own child... and they know it?

    Tilda Swinton, not normally a favourite of mine, is exceedingly good as Eva, the mum uninterested in maternity. Gravid when she least wants to be (she's career-minded), out pops Kevin, her little Damien. You know from the moment she refuses skin-to-skin things are not going to bode well.

    She has no idea how to deal with a baby. Her idea of subduing him is to stand next to a pneumatic drill to drown out his relentless screaming. Kevin grows up knowing he is unloved and demonstrates this through devilish behaviour towards Eva.

    Gradually Eva, if not embraces motherhood, then at least gets better at it. Perhaps this is due to her giving birth to her second child, a girl, who Kevin of course hates with a passion. Or maybe the idea of being a mum sinks in, along with the realisation that a career is not the most important thing in life.

    Eva's betterments do nothing to placate Kevin: he gets worse. Eva's attempts to complain are met with ridicule by the father (John C. Reilly), who thinks she is delusional. Years of unintentional, but sometimes intentional, neglect take their toll on Kevin, and the film's tragic conclusion seems inevitable.

    The origin for Kevin's behaviour has polarised audiences. Did Eva create a monster by failing to form a bond early on? Should she have sought help from professionals if she felt she wasn't coping? Or was Kevin simply a bad seed; an innately evil child who no one could have cured?

    Now that I've had the chance to reflect, I think it's unfair to judge son or mother. I'd be surprised if Ramsay wanted audiences to do that. What would be the point? The film is a starkly brilliant exploration of a failed relationship and the consequences that has on a family and an entire community.

    If Swinton can win an Oscar so easily for her role in 'Michael Clayton', she should be celebrating her second win now. It's one of those performances which needs months of detoxification and psychoanalysis to move on from. Her acting is matched by new-kid-on-the-block Ezra Miller, who plays her lovelorn son. He brings to his role a controlled ferocity we are not used to seeing. His portrayal works, apart from his first-class acting, because he's not the stereotype. To look at him, you would say he was handsome and ingenuous. But looks are deceptive.

    It's hard for people to be repulsed by films nowadays, but there are scenes which will shock. So rare is it to see this kind of film. They vanish as quickly as they appear. I implore you to see this if you can. You'll be moved if not entertained.

    www.moseleyb13.com
    helpful•290
    128
    • dharmendrasingh
    • Oct 30, 2011

    FAQ4

    • What is the first song as Eva drives?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 21, 2011 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cậu Bé Kevin
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • BBC Films
      • UK Film Council
      • Footprint Investment Fund
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,738,692
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $24,587
      • Dec 11, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $9,232,318
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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