WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is a travel writer/publisher who gives up her beloved freedom and bohemian lifestyle to have a child with her husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly). Pregnancy does not seem to agree with Eva, but what's worse, when she does give birth to a baby boy named Kevin, she can't seem to bond with him. When Kevin grows from a fussy, demanding toddler (Rocky Duer) into a sociopathic teen (Ezra Miller), Eva is forced to deal with the aftermath of her son's horrific act.
lychee scene
The climax of act 2
microfeatures
symmetry and proxemics
- symmetrical-shows he has all the power
- Kevin is in centre frame
- showing he has all the power
- all the attention is on him
- very distant from each other
- the dad and Kevin both have their reflection on the table but the mum doesn't have a reflection
- the synchronicity between Eva and Kevin in terms of looks and clothing
- Eva leaves table
- then the scene has been intercut with present-day Eva in the cafe
- possibly reminiscing the lychee scene
sound
- at the start before Kevin eats the lychee
- lack of sound
- non-diegetic sounds
- long silences
- uncomfortable
- awkward
- whilst he eats the lychee
- hyper sounds of Kevin eating the lychee
cinematography
- medium closeup of each person
- original wide shot of everyone in the family
mise-en-scene
- Kevin is reflected on the table-demonstrates Kevin 2 personalities
- clean white napkin demonstrate he's cleaning up after himself
- red splatters on Kevin shirt
performance
- both Eva and Kevin facial expression are matching
- non verbal communication throughout
- when Eva speaking she has a cracked voice
- looks at the ground or to Kevin
- hands down under the table
- removes her gaze off Kevin because she feels threatened by him
- whilst Kevin eating the lychee he makes eye contact with Eva
- Kevin changes his facial expressions when he talks to franklin (happier) then when he talks to Eva
editing
- very long cuts
- you can feel the awkwardness through the scene
In this scene in which Eva tries to bond with the infant Kevin by rolling a ball to him, we see Kevin and Eva presented through binary opposition for mother vs child. Both characters are mirrored in the way they are sitting. initially, they are positioned in a medium close-up over the shoulder shot-reverse-shot before a cutaway reveals them to be in a medium close-up over the shoulder shot-reverse-shot before a cutaway reveals them to be in medium close up in posing stances. Kevin 'taunts' Eva by copying her facial expressions and actions. In terms of mise en scene, the apartment is decorated neutrally, with African masks hanging on the walls, presumably from Eva's travels, and therefore representative of her personality. This mirroring and opposition suggest not only that of mother vs child but also maternal vs freedom. There is a strong sense through the film that by conceiving Kevin, Eva has essentially lost her liberty. She is an unwilling mother. The shot-reverse-shot makes both characters seem intimate, but the cutaway shot reinforces the idea of separateness; the idea that Eva is only there out of necessity.
From a feminist ideological approach, Eva exists in a patriarchal society whereby the women's role is to stay at home and care for her child-even professionally, she is more successful than franklin. Previously, she has gone against the patriarchal ideals by being the main breadwinner; However, now she is confined to the house and raising a child she never wanted. Aside from suffering from post-natal depression, she seems to have Kevin only because society deemed it necessary. In terms of spectator response, we are encouraged to align with Eva because of its her story. Therefore, due to being an unreliable narrator, she represents Kevin as innately emotionless and predestined to become a killer. However, as an active spectator might take issue with this and find the fault lies with her.
Evas conflict with kelvins development continues into his adolescence and this is apparent in this scene in which Eva invites him to miniature golf. This idea is demonstrated through the mist-en-scene specifically through costume and colour palette and framing. Kevin is wearing a blue t-shirt and a red jacket whilst Eva is wearing a purple jumper. These colour are monochromatic with blue and red combining to make purple, emphasising that, regardless of how much Eva resists it, she and Kevin are similar. This is also implied via the framing with each other. These binary oppositions are also represented in this scene; specifically, mother vs child. It seems as though Eva wants to gain a connection to Kevin and does this by mocking a traditional day out. On one hand, Kevin is reluctant to spend time with Eva, which is evidenced by his confused facial expressions, but on the other hand, Kevin felt as though he wants to repair the relationship between them. Ramsay suggests that Eva is forced by society to have a closer relationship with the son she never wanted to have.
The golf scene establishes the main binary opposition of the film being nature Vs nurture, through Eva and Kevin. As they queue for miniature golf they stand next to each other in medium close-up. Through the use of mirroring it is apparent how similar Kevin and Eva really are. This is shown by their facial expressions, hairstyle and casting. However, Kevin and Eva's conflict is portrayed via their costume. Eva is dressed for winter with dark clothing whereas Kevin is dressed for summer. The Binary opposition that is set in motion in this scene is mother vs child. This is evident through the contrasting costumes used, we see Eva wearing dark clothes as though it is winter; however Kevin, juxtaposes this by wearing white, which you would expect to see in summer. This further represents the idea to the spectator that however similar they may seem
The scene in which Eva breaks Kevin's arm could be interpreted as the climax of Act 1. We see Eva and Kevin's interaction which portrays their problematic nature to the spectator. Ramsay emphasises this through her use of mise-en-scene. Specifically, the setting of the room. for example, the neatly stacked nappies and the blinds on the window look like bars, As well as the Bobo doll in the corner. Which further connotes the idea that Kevin's room is like a psychiatric hospital or a therapist room. This displays that there is no real, authentic relationship between them and seems forced and formal. Here Ramsey demonstrates how Eva is forced into a maternal position she doesn't seem to fit but is expected to uphold this position due to societies expectations on women. However, the scene demonstrates Eva abusive nature furthering the binary opposition of nature vs nurture. This scene is one of the only scenes in the film where sympathy for Kevin is created, the sense of Eva's unreliable narration is the most prominent. The spectator may begin to understand Eva's neglect and coldness towards Kevin, this creates alienation from Eva with the spectator, they start to question Eva's narration and retelling of the events.
