We Need to Talk About Kevin (film)
We Need to Talk About Kevin | |
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Directed by | Lynne Ramsay |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Seamus McGarvey |
Edited by | Joe Bini |
Music by | Jonny Greenwood |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes[2] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $7 million[3] |
Box office | $10.8 million[4] |
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2011 psychological thriller drama film directed by Lynne Ramsay from a screenplay she co-wrote with Rory Stewart Kinnear, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver. A long process of development and financing began in 2005, with filming commencing in April 2010.
Tilda Swinton stars as the mother of Kevin, struggling to come to terms with her psychopathic son and the horrors he has committed. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2011.
Swinton was nominated for the
Plot
Eva Khatchadourian, once a successful
A reluctant mother, Eva views Kevin as detached and difficult from childhood. He appears to loathe and deliberately antagonize Eva, who struggles to bond with him. As a baby, he cries incessantly, but only around her; as a child, he resists toilet training, rebuffs Eva's attempts at affection, and shows no interest in anything. He behaves like a happy, loving son in front of his father Franklin, who dismisses Eva's concerns and makes excuses for Kevin's behavior. One day, Eva's frustration with Kevin drives her to throw him against the wall, breaking his arm. Kevin tells Franklin he fell and uses the incident to manipulate Eva, threatening to tell Franklin the truth if she does not do things he wants.
When Kevin is confined to bed with a fever, he shows affection towards Eva for the first time as she reads Robin Hood, though his spiteful personality returns as soon as he recovers. Franklin gives Kevin a bow and arrow and teaches him archery.
Sometime later, Eva gives birth to her and Franklin's second child Celia, a lively and cheerful girl towards whom Kevin is instantly disdainful. A few years later, Celia's pet guinea pig mysteriously goes missing. Eva finds its remains in the
Three days before his 16th birthday, Kevin uses bicycle locks to trap several students in the school gymnasium and murders them with his bow and arrows. After witnessing Kevin's arrest and the bodies of his victims being carried away, Eva returns home to discover that Kevin has murdered Franklin and Celia as well.
On the second anniversary of the massacre, Eva visits Kevin in prison; his demeanor has changed to demure and frightened in his anticipation of being transferred to an adult prison. Eva finally asks him why he committed the murders. Kevin responds that he used to think he knew but is no longer sure. Eva embraces Kevin and leaves.
Cast
- Tilda Swinton as Eva Khatchadourian
- John C. Reilly as Franklin Plaskett
- Ezra Miller as Kevin Khatchadourian
- Jasper Newell as young Kevin
- Rocky Duer as infant Kevin
- Ashley Gerasimovich as Celia Khatchadourian
- Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Wanda
- Alex Manette as Colin
Production
In 2005
Christine Langan told the London Evening Standard in February 2010 that the long delay in production had been caused by BBC Films having difficulty funding the high budget; Ramsay rewrote the script so the film could be made for a lower cost.[12] The UK Film Council awarded £18,510 to the production from its development fund in the same month.[13] Financial backing was also provided by Footprint Investments LLP, Caemhan Partnership LLP and Lipsync Productions, and production is in association with Artina Films and Forward Films.[14]
Filming commenced on 19 April 2010 on location in
Jonny Greenwood composed the film's score.[18]
Release
In October 2009, Independent Film Company picked up the rights to international sales, and made pre-sales at the American Film Market.[19] The film premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival,[20] where it was met with praise from film critics.[21]
We Need to Talk About Kevin was released on
Reception
Critical response
We Need to Talk About Kevin received positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 210 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "We Need to Talk About Kevin is a masterful blend of drama and horror, with fantastic performances across the board (Tilda Swinton especially, delivering one of her very best)."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100 based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]
Accolades
Tilda Swinton was nominated for a number of acting awards, including a
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
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Austin Film Critics Association | Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | Won | |
AACTA International Award | 27 January 2012 | Best Actress | Nominated | |
Best Direction | Lynne Ramsay | |||
Best Film | Jennifer Fox, Luc Roeg, Bob Salerno | |||
Best Screenplay | Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear | |||
BAFTA Award
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12 February 2012 | Best Director | Lynne Ramsay | |
Best Actress in a Leading Role | Tilda Swinton | |||
Outstanding British Film
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Jennifer Fox, Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Robert Salerno | |||
Bodil Award
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16 March 2013 | Best American Film | Lynne Ramsay | |
British Independent Film Award
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4 December 2011 | Best Director | Won | |
Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | Nominated | ||
Best British Independent Film | ||||
Best Screenplay | Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Ezra Miller | |||
Best Technical Achievement (for cinematography) | Seamus McGarvey | |||
Cannes Film Festival | 11–22 May 2011 | Palme d'Or | Lynne Ramsay | |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 12 January 2012 | Best Actress
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Tilda Swinton | |
Best Young Actor/Actress
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Ezra Miller | |||
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
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16 December 2011
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Russell Smith Award | Lynne Ramsay | Won |
Best Actress
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Tilda Swinton | Nominated | ||
European Film Award
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3 December 2011 | Best Actress | Won | |
Evening Standard British Film Award
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Best Film | Lynne Ramsay | ||
Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | Nominated | ||
Best Technical Achievement (for sound design) | Paul Davies | |||
Flanders International Film Festival Ghent
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Canvas Audience Award | Lynne Ramsay | Won | |
Grand Prix for Best Film | Nominated | |||
Golden Globe Award
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15 January 2012 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
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Tilda Swinton | |
Irish Film & Television Awards
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11 February 2012 | Best Director of Photography (Film/TV Drama) | Seamus McGarvey | Won |
Best International Actress | Tilda Swinton | Nominated | ||
London Film Critics' Circle | 19 January 2012 | British Film of the Year | Won | |
Actress of the Year
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Tilda Swinton | Nominated | ||
British Actress of the Year | ||||
Director of the Year
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Lynne Ramsay | |||
Technical Achievement (for sound design) | Paul Davies | |||
London Film Festival
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Best Film | Lynne Ramsay | Won | |
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
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Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | ||
Top Ten Independent Films | ||||
Online Film Critics Society Award
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2 January 2012 | Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | |
Best Editing | Joe Bini | Nominated | ||
Best Adapted Screenplay | Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear | |||
Rembrandt Award | Best International Actress | Tilda Swinton | ||
San Diego Film Critics Society | 14 December 2011 | Best Actress | ||
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
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Best Actress
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Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award
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29 January 2012 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
Southeastern Film Critics Association | 18 December 2011 | Best Actress | ||
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | Jury Prize: Best Director | Lynne Ramsay | Won | |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 5 December 2011 | Best Actress | Tilda Swinton | Nominated |
Writers' Guild of Great Britain | 14 November 2012 | Best Film Screenplay | Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear | Won |
References
- ^ a b "We Need to Talk About Kevin: world exclusive trailer – video" (includes video clip). The Guardian. London. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
- ^ "We Need to talk About Kevin running time, production dates, budget". Movie Insider. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin". The Numbers.
- ^ "The 100 best films of the 21st century (so far)". Time Out Worldwide. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Miller, Phil (14 September 2007). "Why does this author need to talk about filming Kevin?". The Herald. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ McClintock, Paula (23 April 2010). "Ramsay rounds out 'Kevin' cast". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Arendt, Paul (6 June 2006). "Ramsay needs to shoot a film about Kevin". The Guardian. London: Guardian News & Media. p. 21 (G2 supplement).
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (18 May 2008). "BBC Films has diverse slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
- ^ Thomas, Archie (3 October 2008). "Brit List brings scripts to light". Variety. Reed Business Information.
- ^ Burgeson, John (30 March 2010). "In Stratford, sweet love drowns out sour weather". CT Post. Hearst Newspapers.
- ^ Curtis, Nick (19 February 2010). "The women behind the British film industry". London Evening Standard. ES London. p. 27.
- ^ "Awards Database: We Need to Talk About Kevin". UK Film Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ Staff (23 April 2010). ""We Need to talk About Kevin" starts filming this week". HollywoodNews.com. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
- ^ Dawtrey, Adam (22 April 2010). "The welcome return of Lynne Ramsay". London: guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ Dundas Wood, Mark (28 May 2010). "New York Production Listings". BackStage.com. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ O'Connell, A.J. (1 August 2010). "Hollywood East: On location in Connecticut". The Hour. The Hour Publishing Co. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (14 February 2011). "Radiohead's Johny Greenwood to Score 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' (Berlin)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (22 October 2009). "Independent boards We Need To Talk About Kevin for AFM". ScreenDaily.com (Emap Media). Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes - From 16 to 27 may 2012". Festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "Cannes gets talking about British Kevin drama". BBC News. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (24 May 2011). "Cannes Showstopper 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' Picked up By Oscilloscope". /Film. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ We Need to Talk About Kevin at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "We Need To Talk About Kevin Blu-Ray Gets A US Release Date". 21 February 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (25 January 2012). "We Need to Talk About Kevin Movie Review (2012)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (6 January 2012). "Eleven from Eleven". BBC Online. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (24 December 2019). "#63: The Top Ten Films of the Decade". Kermode on Film. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ Brody, Richard (November 2011). "We Need to Talk About Kevin". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Martin, Jake. "We need to talk about We Need to Talk about Kevin". Busted Halo. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ Thomson, David (8 March 2012). "Thomson on Film: A Movie About a School Shooting That Ignores the Shooter". The New Republic. Retrieved 25 May 2013.