41 user reviews
7.5
/10
| Average votes grouped by age and by sex: | |||||||
| Age: | 1-12 | 13-17 | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-49 | 50+ | Total |
| Men: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
9.5 2 |
7.2 4 |
8.1 8 |
5.2 4 |
7.6 19 |
| Women: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
8 2 |
9 1 |
7.5 8 |
7.5 8 |
7.6 20 |
| Total: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
8.7 4 |
7.6 5 |
7.6 17 |
6.7 12 |
7.5 41 |
| Total includes those who didn't specify sex. | |||||||
All 41 reviews...
What a waste of time. It could have been a whole lot better. I understand where it was going but come on... Thank Goodness I waited till it came out on cable.
| 6/10 | shazjoao@ - 1728 reviews 16.10.2012 |
This is not your typical Hollywood fluff. A very compelling and well told story of physical/emotional/psychological abuse--and well done too. You don't have to hide/cover your eyes when watching.
| 8/10 | boykoryan@ - 72 reviews 4.7.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Dr Spock might be rolling around in his grave--but this is a must see film about how children are influenced by their parents and hits the mark of a step by step how NOT to raise your children. There are serious consequences to every thing you do in life.
| 9/10 | marlenehochbaum@ - 76 reviews 4.7.2012 - age: 50+ |
This is an excellent primer on the psychology of a serial killer. The first years of a child's life are crucial in his/her development and this is documented well. Well done flic as past and present transcend each other back and forth. No gory stuff, so pretty much all ages can see this one but would restrict it to 13+ to fully understand what happens to the mind of a child in early developmental stages.
| 9/10 | joeljustleft@ - 271 reviews 26.6.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Very gritty and true to life case study of child abuse and the consequences of it. I found the film very good and is a must see for all.
| 8/10 | jilljustleft@ - 310 reviews 26.6.2012 - age: 18-25 |
This movie succeeds in accurately depicting the development of a psychopathic child and its impact on both family and community. Although this is a sad and depressing movie, it is nonetheless worth seeing since it was beautifully shot and has great acting by the entire cast. Definitely worth seeing for those who may have experienced some of the issues captured by this film.
| 8/10 | ttiger99@ - 7 reviews 15.6.2012 - age: 36-49 |
There is no point in watching this movie. The story has some merit but the way it's presented is slow an boring. The acting was very good, but the casting and the writing could have been better. Those that score this very high don't understand the elements that make a good movie.
| 4/10 | beachandtennis@ - 241 reviews 2.6.2012 - age: 50+ |
When it’s over, the La Tomatina fight in Spain in the opening scene sets the tone for the entire film. Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is a mother who struggles to bond with her vicious and conniving son, Kevin (played by Rock Duer, Jasper Newell, and Ezra Miller at different stages in life) When Kevin becomes an adolescent, his actions shock the community and leaves Eva to face the shame, guilt, sorrow, and regret of her son’s sociopath tendencies. This story raises much debate on what comes first, the bad mother who creates a bad child or the bad child who creates the bad mother. Was Kevin born of a demon seed brought into the world to commit heinous acts and wreck emotional havoc on his mother? Or did he become bad due to his mother’s neglect and lack of love towards him as a child? The film doesn’t try to answer these questions. Instead, it allows open interpretation by the viewer. I don't think this film is for everyone, especially if you haven't read the award winning book by Lionel Shriver that the film is based on. However, if you are curious and a bit daring, you may find the film strange and slightly off-kilter, but good in the “off the beaten path” sort of way. There are a lot of time jumps since the story reverts back and forth from past to present, which may require extra patience when trying to follow the storyline. The film definitely demands the viewer to see “outside of the box” as well as interpreting, through the images, the psychosis of the characters. It’s a very stylish film, but not in the popular sense of stylish. The director, Lynne Ramsay, uses unconventional photography and her images illicit a feeling, an emotion, which are not all positive. Ramsay uses the color red very effectively to convey blood and the bloodstains that remain in Eva’s day-to-day life. If you do get to see this film, see if you can count how many scenes the color red appears. I guarantee you’ll lose count.
| 7/10 | aleneis@ - 7 reviews 29.4.2012 - age: 36-49 |
If you look at the numbers of people who end up in prison, or who live lives or marginal functionality or kindness you have to wonder if their parents ever expected them to turn out that way. No one intends to raise a bad apple, a troublemaker, or a monster. So how do those parents feel? How do they react as the evidence of their child's maladjustment begins to show? The mother here tries to negotiate away the anger between them, does that work? Does that 'spoil' a child? And Kevin is as sullen as many teens who never do what he did... what is the difference in them?
| 7/10 | dannimac@ - 67 reviews 10.4.2012 - age: 36-49 |
1. If you want to see a movie for entertainment, please don't see this one. But this one is a GREAT movie, though depressing and disturbing! 2. This year's Oscar certainly failed to be relevant again, as The Artist and its actor and actress were all Oscar glorified for nostalgia, but Tilda Swinton delivered a GREAT performance！So did Ezra Miller! Oscars are no longer relevant as it is hijacked for other purposes: fashion, movie marketing, politics... And Oscars are OLD and OUT! 3. The movie is a contemporary piece of art work, lined up with other great movies such as Bieutiful etc. This film is great as it is provocating and striking in your face! The director didn't want to play SAFE, so it becomes so disturbingly AMAZING! 4. Evil naturally finds refuge in human beings. If you have ever been to a maximum security prison, you would see for yourself the incarnations of evils incarcerated in prison. But they are everywhere... 5. We need to support this kind of independent and intelligent movie work, so they would NOT die in our commercial pursuits while surviving this material world.
| 10/10 | howardtaco1999@ - 69 reviews 28.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
This movie was great. Unbelievable that she wasn't even nominated for the Oscar.
| 8/10 | pantal@ - 68 reviews 17.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Excellent movie, very disturbing, good actings. At the end just wanted to go home to hug my child. Although it is not for everybody, I think it is worth seeing it.
| 9/10 | hdmorenos@ - 47 reviews 13.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
It's not an easy story to tell. How do you analyse such an event? But the depiction could have been much better. While I liked the acting by everyone, its biggest downfall was the blank character writing with just too little to say. I found this extremely frustrating throughout the movie.
| 6/10 | katboguski@ - 33 reviews 11.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
I'm still trying to decide what I thought of this movie. Did I like it? Did I not like it? All I can say at this point is that it's extremely disturbing! Good acting by Tilda Swinton. I can see why the Academy did not consider this movie for an Oscar. It is not a story that you want to glorify. Go see it and make your own opinion. It is worth seeing!
| 7/10 | tigre62@ - 61 reviews 10.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
This story, if told by a competent film-maker, would have been gripping, moving and powerful. As it is, it's a dog's breakfast, self-indulgent, gimmicky. It's neither a horror movie, nor an insightful psychological drama. Nothing seems connected, the symbolism ends up being unintentionally comic, and narrative line, relationships, and meaning of the story all get lost in a heavy handed, predictable, non-suspenseful mess. The writing is heavy handed and often ludicrous. Who is Kevin's mother? Why is she the way she is? How did she get together with the dad? Why are they such abysmal parents? And mostly, given the un-helpful disorienting flashbacks, and lack of context, who cares!
| 4/10 | davidschatzky@ - 22 reviews 10.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
Excellent movie, one of the best ever. Deep and teaching great lessons for example that problems arise due to insufficient communication, lack of openness and sharing of opinions and feelings.
| 9/10 | krasivas2002@ - first review 9.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Bon film, mais combien difficile. Que de questions soulevées. Peu ou pas de réponses comme dans la vraie vie.
| 8/10 | thibel06@ - 8 reviews 8.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
Days after watching and I'm still bothered by this movie. It's a tough movie that doesn't pull any punches or even give easy answers. There are some scenes that will hit you in the gut. Not an easy watch but well worth the effort.
| 8/10 | abba70s@ - 3 reviews 8.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Other than mothers whose children are already fully grown and did so without too many pitfalls, I would not readily recommend this film to other women. This film takes us in the skin of this woman who brought a monster in the world named Kevin which she alone can recognize for what he is and at the same time cannot refuse him all of her devotion and her hope, in other words her love. Probably for original effect, the story is presented in continual flashbacks, zigzagging between four periods of Kevin’s life and consequentially, that of his mother Eva, also. There is Kevin the charming toddler, the skillful teen, the dark young man and the condemned adult. The magnitude of his disorder is revealed in layers ever so slowly. All in all an efficient film on a taboo subject.
| 7/10 | o6numbersix@ - 75 reviews 5.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
Enjoyed the movie very much. I found it interesting and would even see it again.
| 8/10 | paula@ - 22 reviews 5.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
If you like thought-provoking movies, you will like this one. The character of Kevin is chilling and seemingly missing some key chromosome that would give him human warmth and emotion. The fascinating aspect, however, is that gradually we begin to perceive that the son Kevin is actually a manifestation of the darker side of his "normal" mother--what in her is an (arguably commendable) stoicism, in him manifests as complete absence of emotion; what in Tilda S's character is a certain grimness, in the son manifests as a black humor, the mother's perseverance in the face of adversity is the son's obsessiveness... and so on. The film provides no answers about what causes the human species to produce such dark characters. I strongly disagree with the La Presse journalist (Rima K) who suggested that the son's evil ways were due to lack of maternal affection--I think any mother faced with such a bizarre baby from day one would find it hard to warm up to the child and I was just astounded that the mother remained devoted to her son right up to the end. A chilling movie, great story, go with some articulate friends so you can discuss it afterwards.
| 7/10 | jeanromberry@ - 2 reviews 3.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
I have seen this movie 4 times - It is without a doubt one of the most incredible adaptations from book to movie, capturing all the horror that goes knowing your child has committed a heinous crime, that it may have been preventable had someone listened to you, had someone else noticed. The performance by Tilda Swinton is profound and heartbreaking - THAT SHE WAS OVERLOOKED BY THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES IS AN ARTISTIC CRIME. This is the best performance of the year - in fact, one of the most riveting, honest and true performances I have ever seen. Ezra Miller as Kevin puts in a chilling performance as her son - Also overlooked by the Academy. The cinematography, lighting and editing are also most noteworthy - (a very difficult film to edit, I would think) This movie is not for children - But it will leave any adult sitting in their seat, staring at the screen for a while after the credits have ended.
| 10/10 | syarnell@ - first review 3.3.2012 |
Hard to watch, but a great movie. I loved the story. Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller were both awesome. It makes you think what would you [do] if you were the parents of a child like Kevin. Very complicated and difficult, hard to answer!
| 8/10 | greco64@ - 404 reviews 26.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
I loved everything about this movie. Stylistically, the film is beautifully crafted and edited and Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller give outstanding performances. The kids chosen to play Kevin through his various ages are creepily authentic and actually appear as though they could have grown into the troubled teen who eventually destroys the lives of his family. Tilda Swinton usually chooses interesting roles and as Eva, the mother who wonders if her inability to bond with her child has lead him to his path of destruction and her willingness to accept the abuse and consequences as a result of his actions are hauntingly portrayed and subtly acted and Swinton hits it out of the ballpark.
| 9/10 | elliottmontreal@ - first review 26.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
This a horror-ible movie with Kevin's mother playing as freaky a role as Kevin. A good diagnostic screening test more your movie masochism rating.
| 3/10 | fredbass@ - first review 26.2.2012 - age: 26-35 |
This movie kept me wondering from beginning to the very end... The actors were very credible, the movie was a bit revolting, couldn't stop wondering what I would have done. A great movie!!
| 9/10 | georgiana.stroe@ - 84 reviews 22.2.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Tilda Swinton was fabulous, quite riveting performance. Should have been nominated for Oscar Best Actress. The 2 young kid actors as well as the teenage boy that played Kevin were all pretty good. Thumbs up to the casting director.
| 7/10 | karen_lett@ - 361 reviews 19.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller were both great in this movie. Swinton is always great, but the way she portrays a confused, hopeless mother in this film is pretty amazing. It's a movie with a lot of depth and will most likely stay in your mind long after watching it.
| 9/10 | andrew_atkinson_@ - 36 reviews 18.2.2012 - age: 18-25 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Are psychopaths born or are they nurtured? This film suggest strongly in Kevin's case they are born. There is nothing in the film to suggest that Kevin's total lack of empathy is nurtured. Many people would dispute this thesis. Nevertheless the film is chilling and it is reminiscent of Rosemary's baby. Not a date movie by any means. Also the hostility of the community toward the mother in my view is not realistic. In reality where something like this to occur she would in all likelihood receive the sympathy of the community not be the object of retribution.
| 6/10 | jnropt@ - 3 reviews 15.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Although the theme of teen violence is prevalent in We Need to Talk About Kevin, it is a mistake to look at the film as a commentary on school shootings. It is really a film that focuses on the relationship between a boy and his mother. We Need to Talk About Kevin is more of film that aims to show the horrors that come with being a parent. This film often plays like a sequel to Rosemary’s Baby. If you ever wondered what it would have been like for Rosemary to raise the spawn of the devil, look no further than this film. By setting her horror film within the realm of modern day occurrences, such as school shootings, Lynne Ramsay is not only able to bring a bit more realism to her film, but also make it far more chilling. What heightens the terror is the fact that Eva has it rough throughout the entire film. One of the year's best films.
| 9/10 | smallcourtney@ - 73 reviews 13.2.2012 - age: 26-35 |
This is probably the best movie of the year, one of the most under-rated too, Tilda Swinton is absolutely dazzling as Eva her portrayal makes justice to the character, Ezra Miller is dazzling the whole movie is very under-rated and what does the Oscars know anyway? Sadness, joy, pain, nostalgia, elation and confusion are just a fraction of the feelings this roller-coaster provokes, and the audience's sheer awe was summed up by the 10 seconds of breathless silence as the screen faded into credits.
| 10/10 | afg.priince@ - 50 reviews 13.2.2012 - age: 18-25 |
From the pages of an excellent book to the magic of the silver screen. Because I read the book; twice, I was expecting tears to fall from my eyes (I brought tissues) and while viewing I merely had mild discomfort. There are too many places, on screen, where it was not pertinent to be choppy unless you have read the book and still... There are way too many places, on screen, where you cannot relate to the actors because you are missing vital links. I patiently waited for this film to come to Montreal since the initial UK release. In my opinion the editing is too severe. Sad but true.
| 4/10 | ohhenry@ - first review 12.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Good basic story; however, the story is not categorically developed. It is a constant case of one step forward and two steps back. It lacks continuity. Atom Egoyan could propably have accomplished something amazing with this story. Disappointment: "BIG TIME"!
| 5/10 | aswabian@ - 4 reviews 12.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
Definitely not for all to see! Thought-provoking movie! Many flashbacks but all make sense at the end of the film! Tilda Swinton--Oscar buzz for next year--acting at her best ever.
| 8/10 | vin.2000@ - 123 reviews 12.2.2012 |
Great movie in the sense that it brings a subject to the forefront that is not always addressed and there is an increased incidence of such events in our society.
| 7/10 | mariejoseecinque@ - first review 11.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
First of all I need to say that Tilda Swinton has definitely been robbed from this year Oscar nomination for her performance in this movie. It's one of the best performances of an actress from the movies that I've seen this year. As for the movie, it is a good movie. But I'm not sure if I could recommend it to anyone because it is VERY depressing and sad. The situations regarding Kevin and the destruction he caused are so desperate and it seems that there would be no hope in sight. That's why I really don't know how to rate this movie cause it's very well made and told, but it's definitely not a pleasant experience after watching it.
| 5/10 | sea_horse002@ - first review 11.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Throughout the entire movie, I felt uncomfortable. Indeed a fascinating movie, especially seeing it through the eyes of the mother and... as a mother.
| 8/10 | pien@ - 8 reviews 11.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
Tilda Swinton is amazing in the lead role. This is a multi-layered, complex, fascinating film with many surprising moments. I feel that this is an adult film - particularly for people who have raised children because the dilemnas and moral grey areas may not be noticed by people who haven't raised children and teens. Young people might classify this film as horror. My knees were weak through the whole movie. Only tough-minded, mature people should go to this movie. I thought it was excellent.
| 8/10 | mdventures@ - 15 reviews 10.2.2012 - age: 50+ |