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Movie Monday - We Need To Talk About Kevin
I just happened to be passing the TV last week (which someone else was watching) when I heard Sen. Mitch McConnell, the nasty one with the chin problem, demanding from Sec. of Defense nominee, Chuck Hagel, one example of a US Senator who had been influenced by the Israeli lobby. Now I was interested in this because I remember that in November of last year when Obama was attempting (whole-heartedly? half-heartedly? Who knows?) to convince Netanyahu to use restraint during his most recent assault on Gaza, both houses of the US Congress unanimously passed a resolution to give unwavering support to Israel. And as The Guardian said at the time: (This resolution) was passed without the (request) made by the Obama administration for Israel to show restraint and avoid civilian casualties. I remember thinking at the time of this resolution: Is this treasonous? Because as I read the US Constitution, only the Prez can negotiate with foreign powers and this resolution was certainly saying to Israel: Don't listen to the black man, we've got your back. So there was Hagel last week trying to dance around the question because Sen. MM was right. Hagel couldn't name one member of Congress; he would have to name all of them!
I got to see We Need To Talk About Kevin yesterday. Starting with faint praise, if you know nothing about the plot of this movie (or the book it's based on), it will keep you edgy almost all through. Early on, we see Kevin's sister wearing a permanent eye patch and we don't doubt something bad has happened to this little girl. But, the seasaw editing with its non-linear timeline of past and present so muddies your thinking that, for example, for a few minutes I believed that the teen Kevin had ordered bicycle locks to sell at school as he says.
Among the actors, Jasper Newell, as young Kevin, should definitely be the first choice of a remake of the The Bad Seed, The Good Son, or The Omen. We, like his mom (played by Tilda Swinton) have no doubt this boy has serious communication problems, at the least. On the minus side among the actors is John C. Reilly. With that face, that nose, that voice, that ridiculously "permed" hair, he is a natural as a song and dance man; not as a caring dad raising a seriously disturbed son. If casting was looking for the anti-handsome. slightly pudgy dad, they would have done better to recruit Paul Giamatti who would have added so much more gravitas to the little dialogue he was given.
And then there's Tilda Swinton who, as the mom, almost single-handedly carries the plot along. Starting with the "running of tomatoes" dream she has which starts the picture, through the unexplained paint vandalizing of her home and car and strangers (to us, at least) coming up to her and slapping her face, she has to react, sometimes explain, and then move on. She is an actress very good at "silent acting", that is, acting with very little dialogue, but unfortunately, there is just too much silence in this picture.
Also, there's a lot of violence, finally, but there's a barrenness of connection with that also. Director, Lynne Ramsay, tells you a story almost like the scary stories around Girl Scout/Boy Scout camp outs. You get spooked, bad things are spoken of, but then you move on. It's like she's telling one of the most horrid nightmares for any parent in the passive voice. It's more like the title of the movie should be: Do We Need To Talk About Kevin? and not in the active voice as: We Need To Talk About Kevin. Except for the mom's post-partum depression and inability to contact with an extremely colicky (?), crying infant, there is only one visit to the MD where she gets reassurance Kevin is not autistic; after that she seems to bend to the "Oh, boys will be boys." attitude of the caring, but often away dad.
As Kevin matures with fewer and fewer social skills and empathy. Swinton just seems to walk catatonically through her disturbed son's life. Even keeping a second pregnancy secret until Kevin says: Mommy's getting fat. and dad asks: When were you going to tell me?
Except for the mom's surprising last statement to Kevin where she implies he was not really a crazy kid but a master planning psychopath, the director presents no theme, no issue to chew on/over; she's just telling you that horrific campfire story. And because of this, I walked away from this movie without a mental glance back. Ramsey may have really meant to explore the relationship between the mother and son (“I wasn't trying to make an issue-based film.” Instead she says that she was intrigued by “the mother-son relationship,” this “perverse love story.” wsws.org, 3/21/12), but, sorry, that just doesn't come across. In fact, thematically, this movie is barren. It tells what should have been a powerful story without passion nor caring.
I can say this because Beautiful Boy with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen which was released unsung just a year earlier (22 user reviews for BB on IMBd compared to 220+ for WNTTAK) takes a twist on the same plot and finds a thematic peg for the viewer to hold.
Of course, there are a lot more "Kevin" stories out there. If you enjoy that old-fashioned hobby of reading, Dave Cullen in Columbine (2009) presents a full, well-documented study of that horrific US school event. An excellent read, well-sourced and indexed. Surprisingly, as fact and not fiction, this book is still so much more fulfilling than Kevin's tale.
See you next week.
I got to see We Need To Talk About Kevin yesterday. Starting with faint praise, if you know nothing about the plot of this movie (or the book it's based on), it will keep you edgy almost all through. Early on, we see Kevin's sister wearing a permanent eye patch and we don't doubt something bad has happened to this little girl. But, the seasaw editing with its non-linear timeline of past and present so muddies your thinking that, for example, for a few minutes I believed that the teen Kevin had ordered bicycle locks to sell at school as he says.
Among the actors, Jasper Newell, as young Kevin, should definitely be the first choice of a remake of the The Bad Seed, The Good Son, or The Omen. We, like his mom (played by Tilda Swinton) have no doubt this boy has serious communication problems, at the least. On the minus side among the actors is John C. Reilly. With that face, that nose, that voice, that ridiculously "permed" hair, he is a natural as a song and dance man; not as a caring dad raising a seriously disturbed son. If casting was looking for the anti-handsome. slightly pudgy dad, they would have done better to recruit Paul Giamatti who would have added so much more gravitas to the little dialogue he was given.
And then there's Tilda Swinton who, as the mom, almost single-handedly carries the plot along. Starting with the "running of tomatoes" dream she has which starts the picture, through the unexplained paint vandalizing of her home and car and strangers (to us, at least) coming up to her and slapping her face, she has to react, sometimes explain, and then move on. She is an actress very good at "silent acting", that is, acting with very little dialogue, but unfortunately, there is just too much silence in this picture.
Also, there's a lot of violence, finally, but there's a barrenness of connection with that also. Director, Lynne Ramsay, tells you a story almost like the scary stories around Girl Scout/Boy Scout camp outs. You get spooked, bad things are spoken of, but then you move on. It's like she's telling one of the most horrid nightmares for any parent in the passive voice. It's more like the title of the movie should be: Do We Need To Talk About Kevin? and not in the active voice as: We Need To Talk About Kevin. Except for the mom's post-partum depression and inability to contact with an extremely colicky (?), crying infant, there is only one visit to the MD where she gets reassurance Kevin is not autistic; after that she seems to bend to the "Oh, boys will be boys." attitude of the caring, but often away dad.
As Kevin matures with fewer and fewer social skills and empathy. Swinton just seems to walk catatonically through her disturbed son's life. Even keeping a second pregnancy secret until Kevin says: Mommy's getting fat. and dad asks: When were you going to tell me?
Except for the mom's surprising last statement to Kevin where she implies he was not really a crazy kid but a master planning psychopath, the director presents no theme, no issue to chew on/over; she's just telling you that horrific campfire story. And because of this, I walked away from this movie without a mental glance back. Ramsey may have really meant to explore the relationship between the mother and son (“I wasn't trying to make an issue-based film.” Instead she says that she was intrigued by “the mother-son relationship,” this “perverse love story.” wsws.org, 3/21/12), but, sorry, that just doesn't come across. In fact, thematically, this movie is barren. It tells what should have been a powerful story without passion nor caring.
I can say this because Beautiful Boy with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen which was released unsung just a year earlier (22 user reviews for BB on IMBd compared to 220+ for WNTTAK) takes a twist on the same plot and finds a thematic peg for the viewer to hold.
Of course, there are a lot more "Kevin" stories out there. If you enjoy that old-fashioned hobby of reading, Dave Cullen in Columbine (2009) presents a full, well-documented study of that horrific US school event. An excellent read, well-sourced and indexed. Surprisingly, as fact and not fiction, this book is still so much more fulfilling than Kevin's tale.
See you next week.
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