We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lynne Ramsay, 2011 (R)

with Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, I am Love, Constantine), John C. Reilly (Chicago, The Hours), Ezra Miller (Californication), Jasper Newell, Rocky Duer, Ashley Gerasimovich, Siobhan Fallon, Alex Manette, Joseph Melendez

Eva's relationship with her son, Kevin, has been difficult from the beginning. When the 15-year-old boy's cruel streak erupts into violence, Eva wonders how much blame she deserves for his actions.

This movie is very original, probably one of the darkest I've seen since actually "Julia" again with Tilda Swinton. I watched it thinking I would see an alternate version of the same story of "Beautiful Boy", but not at all. The tone is radically different, the perception of the family, the behavior of the kid, the focus of the story and finally the story itself are radically opposite. We have here a mother who felt estranged by her pregnancy, and then manipulated by her son to the point where her husband in oblivion doesn't even believe her. It is build in a back and forth with the present and the time of the tragedy, from the birth on to the moment of the murders. The story is misleading in many way, so you never know really what is to expect of the characters, of the next possible event, which in a way doesn't really explain why she fell so low. The interactions of the kid (played by 4 formidable actors) with the mum is oppressing, to the limit of the horror gender, definitely suspense. The beautiful moments always have something disturbing to them, and the esthetic of the movie is truly fascinating. Red is definitely built of so many symbols, from the alarm clock to the Tomatina of Spain, to the paint on the walls, to the soup cans, to the red lights of the firemen trucks.
Now, there are common points, the guilt of the parent, the relationship of the parent with the outside world, the open rejection, the incomprehension of the act... But in a way, it would have much more to compare to with "Rosemary's Baby". I recommend strongly, but not to a mother who just gave birth!

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