Film Analysis - 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' (Directed by Lynne Ramsay)
Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmf42pkfgZw
Wiki Page (for convenience) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Need_to_Talk_About_Kevin_(film)
The film 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is an impressive film which was directed by 'Lynne Ramsay' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Ramsay) and grossed approximately $10.8 million in the box office; it was produced with a budget of $7 million and happens to be a relatively hard hitting member of the drama/tragedy genre as it also makes excessive usage of visual mediums to convey deep and meaningful concepts relative to the point in the film which they are featured. The film itself follows a non-linear narrative which allows for the creative distribution of information and concepts throughout the film's 112 minute running time.
The overall theme of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is the absence and presence of human emotion, or perhaps more accurately the presence of apathy within a dysfunctional family unit; throughout the film the audience is exposed to themes and ideas that convey an overarching sense of awkwardness and social unrest which in turn induces discomfort within the viewers, it would seem that the director intended to do this as it tests what it means to be human and whether the concept of unconditional love truly exists.
As mentioned prior, the film makes excessive usage of visual (and occasionally audible) mediums to convey certain emotions and themes, one such scene where this is abundantly present is when Kevin (the film's main antagonist) is preparing a strawberry jam sandwich (for himself). During this scene the audience is exposed to the slow, borderline arduous creation of something as simple as a jam sandwich, however due to the way this scene is shot, the audience feels almost pressured by the intimidating red hue of the jam and how it slowly begins to creep across the slice of bread, before ultimately covering its surface; during this scene the audience is made to feel as though something as nonthreatening as a sandwich carries a weight of overwhelming danger and instability, the very presence of a character such as Kevin changes how we perceive the world and that which is within it.
The presence of the colour, Red is abundant throughout the duration of the film, naturally it conveys as a sense of hostility and danger whenever it is featured; however it would seem that it is also symbolic of the presence of Kevin's influence, even after he is gone, a lingering imprint of his character seems to stain the scene wherever the colour red is visible. One might argue that 'Kevin' is more than just his physical character within the film, he seemingly serves as the incarnation of apathy, instability and domination; with this concept the film focuses heavily upon the near combative relationship shared between Kevin and his mother, violently attempting to tear down the idea that love is a universal presence within all families. The director has seemingly tried to emphasis the corruptive nature of disobedience and hate within what could otherwise be a normal family, it treats ideas such as empathy and compassion like contagious diseases (which are ultimately expelled from each and every scene after the presence of Kevin).
Wiki Page (for convenience) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Need_to_Talk_About_Kevin_(film)
The film 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is an impressive film which was directed by 'Lynne Ramsay' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Ramsay) and grossed approximately $10.8 million in the box office; it was produced with a budget of $7 million and happens to be a relatively hard hitting member of the drama/tragedy genre as it also makes excessive usage of visual mediums to convey deep and meaningful concepts relative to the point in the film which they are featured. The film itself follows a non-linear narrative which allows for the creative distribution of information and concepts throughout the film's 112 minute running time.The overall theme of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is the absence and presence of human emotion, or perhaps more accurately the presence of apathy within a dysfunctional family unit; throughout the film the audience is exposed to themes and ideas that convey an overarching sense of awkwardness and social unrest which in turn induces discomfort within the viewers, it would seem that the director intended to do this as it tests what it means to be human and whether the concept of unconditional love truly exists.
As mentioned prior, the film makes excessive usage of visual (and occasionally audible) mediums to convey certain emotions and themes, one such scene where this is abundantly present is when Kevin (the film's main antagonist) is preparing a strawberry jam sandwich (for himself). During this scene the audience is exposed to the slow, borderline arduous creation of something as simple as a jam sandwich, however due to the way this scene is shot, the audience feels almost pressured by the intimidating red hue of the jam and how it slowly begins to creep across the slice of bread, before ultimately covering its surface; during this scene the audience is made to feel as though something as nonthreatening as a sandwich carries a weight of overwhelming danger and instability, the very presence of a character such as Kevin changes how we perceive the world and that which is within it.
The presence of the colour, Red is abundant throughout the duration of the film, naturally it conveys as a sense of hostility and danger whenever it is featured; however it would seem that it is also symbolic of the presence of Kevin's influence, even after he is gone, a lingering imprint of his character seems to stain the scene wherever the colour red is visible. One might argue that 'Kevin' is more than just his physical character within the film, he seemingly serves as the incarnation of apathy, instability and domination; with this concept the film focuses heavily upon the near combative relationship shared between Kevin and his mother, violently attempting to tear down the idea that love is a universal presence within all families. The director has seemingly tried to emphasis the corruptive nature of disobedience and hate within what could otherwise be a normal family, it treats ideas such as empathy and compassion like contagious diseases (which are ultimately expelled from each and every scene after the presence of Kevin).
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