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We Need to Talk About Kevin

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a film from 2011, directed by Lynne Ramsey. The film is based on a novel by Lionel Shriver, from 2003. The film explores what responsibility parents have for their children's actions.
Photo: We see two hands against a black background. The hand of an adult, and inside it the tiny hand of a baby.
Govva: Dino Olivieri / CC BY 4.0

In the film, we get to observe the relationship between the title character, Kevin, and his mother Eva Khatchadourian. From Kevin's birth, Eva struggles to cope with him. At the same time, Kevin gets on very well with his father, which creates a complicated family dynamic.

Early in the film we learn that Kevin has committed an atrocity. There are not many explicitly violent scenes in the film, but the film implies sadism and violence and has an intense mood that viewers are likely to find uncomfortable.

Ezra Miller plays Kevin as a teenager, Tilda Swinton plays his mother, and John C. Reilly plays his father.

Before you watch the film:

Discuss in a group or with a partner.

  • Can a child be born bad?

  • Are parents responsible for their children's actions?

While you watch the film:

Pay attention to the way the colour red is used throughout the film.

Keep a piece of paper close by and make a note of scenes where the colour is used in a striking way.

We Need to Talk about Kevin:

About the film:

Released: 2011

Duration: 1 hour and 46 minutes

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Screenplay by: Lynne Ramsay

Based on a novel by: Lionel Shriver

Actors: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Language: English

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