Analysis
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) directed by Lynne Ramsay is a thought-provoking film that explores the complex and often unsettling themes of motherhood, guilt, the nature of evil and the consequences of psychopathic and antisocial behavior. The film follows Eva as she reflects on her relationship with her teenage son Kevin and navigates the aftermath of a tragic event caused by him.
The film follows a non-linear structure as it switches back and forth between the main timeline in which Eva works to rebuild her life, and Eva’s memories of motherhood. This allows the film to maintain a sense of tension and suspense throughout, up until the plot-twist that reveals exactly what happened in Eva’s life and how this impacted her relationship with Kevin.
The main characters of the film are Eva and Kevin. The relationship between them is a central focus of the narrative. Franklin, Eva’s husband and Kevin’s father, also plays an important role in the film, particularly because his actions greatly influence Eva and Kevin’s relationship.
The film only offers vague markers of the time and physical setting but it is likely the film takes place sometime in the 1990s in a small town in the United States. The physical setting helps to offer insight into the turn Eva’s life has taken as well as into her relationship with Kevin.
Throughout the film, several symbols and motifs such as Kevin’s bow and arrow or the color red help to highlight the novel’s main themes. As well as this, they offer additional layers and meaning to the central questions the film presents, which largely remain unanswered and up to the audience to reflect on.
You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages.
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Structure
The movie We Need to Talk About Kevin directed by Lynn Ramsay follows a non-linear structure. The film opens with a series of confusing images and sounds from a scene from the past which acts as the climax. Then, instead of following a straightforward sequence of events, the story jumps back and forth in time from Eva’s life in the present to her memories of her life with her family. This helps create a sense of mystery and keeps viewers engaged as they piece together the puzzle of Eva's life and Kevin’s impact on it.
The two main timelines are presented in a largely chronological order. The past timeline follows Eva’s life before having kids and the beginning of her life as a mother and Kevin’s childhood and teenage years. In this way, the movie provides a comprehensive look at Eva and Kevin’s development and their impact on one another. The present timeline follows Eva’s life in the aftermath of Kevin’s crime, showing a stark contrast between Eva’s life in the past and the present and leading the audience to wonder what happened that caused it to change so drastically.
In this way, it can also be said that the film is made up mainly of flashbacks. The present narrative is brief, showing a few scenes from Eva’s daily routine and serving mostly to show that she leads a sad and lonely life, plagued by the past, and hated by everyone in her community. This adds mystery and suspense to the film. Flashbacks are skillfully used to provide glimpses into Eva’s past and contribute to the gradual unfolding of the story, keeping the mystery and tension going throughout the film.
The flashbacks also help to explain the dynamics within the family, and the audience likely expects that these flashbacks will eventually show the event that caused Eva’s life to change. The flashbacks are woven seamlessly into the narrative, providing crucial insights without disrupting the flow of the film.
It is heavily foreshadowed throughout the film that Kevin committed a terribl…
