A question has been on the minds of every being that chooses to produce offspring—nature over nurture.
What drives a teenager to murder not only his classmates but his own father and sister?
Many people believe it is black and white, either Kevin was just born evil or it is Eva (Kevin’s mother) who damaged him through her parenting.
But in all honesty, it is meekly grey, undivined yet significantly apparent. To imply that beings are born evil is sticking your head in the sand. Disregarding important factors like environs, parenting and external influences goes against society’s psychological advancements in the last few decades. Yet, in hindsight, Kevin has a more stable upbringing than the majority of our current population, it does not justify his behaviour. This leaves us as watchers perplexed, seeking to simplify the situation, seeking understanding.
This film is multidimensional, labelled as thriller, mystery and some would even dare say horror. I have watched my fair share of disturbing films, yet no other film has left me so puzzled and discombobulated. Therefore labelling it would be limiting the different genres this film resides in.
Eva
Tilda Swinton. She beguiled me with her performance, Swinton gave us a very raw look at someone who has lost everything. The movie is portrayed through the eyes of Eva, a free-spirited travel writer turned mundane suburban housewife. From the early stages of pregnancy you can sense Eva’s rejection of her new role, she would rather be in Paris. Even though motherhood did not become her, feelings of remorse blossom when you see her attempt earnestly to connect with her unwanted child. Many describe Eva as a weak mother, unfit to carry the role of a caregiver, especially to a child who shows signs of mental illness very early on. From my point of view, Eva is a candid portrait of how many people end up being parents, kind of thrust into it by unforeseen circumstances. I could genuinely appreciate how this role was directed and played, we are not given a perfect Hollywood parent, but a real struggling human being who is imperfect and makes a lot of mistakes. “Whenever there are children killing children, or perpetrating great acts of violence, there’s always this word ‘evil’ pulled out of the top drawer. Not even the bottom drawer. It’s a very quick response. And I’m always struck by it, because from the age of four and a half I have known that it ain’t in no drawer. It’s at closer hand. Isn’t that the triumph of civilisation? That we manage not to be monstrous?” Tilda Swinton agrees that ‘’evil’’ is not born from human nature, but rather developed into its atrocious state formed by parental and surrounding nature.
Franklin
Now not that I think there is any person who carries 100% of the blame, but I want to emphasise Franklin Plaskett. He made my blood boil, he is married to a person who has kept their wits together whilst travelling the world and creating a life, yet he does not trust her judgement. Throughout the film, he carries a resentment of her initial parental struggle and he fails to see what Kevin became because of his inability to see past his wife’s initial lack of maternal instincts. Let’s be honest, Kevin displayed serious behavioural problems and if Franklin were an involved parent he would have picked up on it. If my partner shares with me that they are struggling or noticing a problem, I would want what is best for my child and partner, I would care enough to get involved. His absence created resentment in Eva, fueling the dysfunction between her and Kevin. I strongly dislike this character.
Kevin
Kevin. The real reason we are here. What makes this character so perturbing is that what Kevin did is realistic and animalistic. The gym scene is unsettling, yet I found the broken arm incident, the lychee popping and Kevin ripping chicken to pieces with his teeth the foundation for the eeriness that can be felt throughout the film. The simplicity of these sinister acts creates a slow seething unsettling sensation. Just as Eva’s character is portrayed with all her faults, as is Kevin, from birth we witness his endless wailing, his rejection of potty training, as well as other obstreperous behaviour. Some might say ‘’spawn of satan’’ while others might say neglected and rejected. Nevertheless, Kevin creates discomfort within every watcher. It is painful to watch him. Through my countless hours spent on Reddit and blogs, I have read miscellaneous theories about why Kevin is Kevin. To truly understand a character with such darkness we need to strip back our preconceived notions, including Eva’s, yet it is incredibly hard because we are only permitted the view of Kevin through Eva’s eyes. From the limited information, I concluded that Kevin was a mentally ill individual who ended up with parents unfit to handle his condition, he exhibits traits of antisocial personality disorder (analysis). Eva was too absorbed in what she had lost and Franklin was only a nice-weather parent, never there when truly needed. Let’s add a lack of discipline, distrust between parents and manipulation, it was destined to end up badly in some shape or form. The movie also does not take into account Kevin’s social or romantic relationships, at the age Kevin hunted those children he was a teenager, the most fragile stage in any human’s life. To draw any real conclusion we would need more information, for face value we can conclude that it is simply a mystery.
Colour
Red. Bullseye, blood, birth, strawberry jam, ink, tomatoes, sirens, anger, love, violence. Throughout the film, a connection can be drawn between the underlying emotions of our two main characters and the crimson hues. This alarming colour keeps the watcher on the edge of their seat, in the gym scene your heart races as the red light frantically flashes on Eva’s distraught face. I love how meticulously this colour is used, it creates unison throughout the film. Red flows from the intro festival scene trickles like the bloody resentment and spills into the present where Eva washes off the vandalism as she wishes she could wash her conscience. Like an open wound gushing blood, we feel the omnipresent pain in which Eva is doused and the eeriness of Kevin is slowly revealed as red carries his deep-rooted hatred. Love is the one thing barely discussed when this film is mentioned. Even if the type of love shared between Eva and Kevin is unconventional, it is undeniably real. Red is the colour of love.
Blue. If red is the reality in which Eva resides, blue would be the ideal fantasy that Eva wishes would be her truth. Since this film is viewed through the eyes of Eva Khatchadourian, a travel writer, I love to see her more creative, flamboyant nature illustrated through colour. We all have a way of internalising and shaping reality within our minds, and obviously, Eva remembers in colours. Colour transports us from her harsh reality into her fantasy world, which we all enjoy residing in every once in a while. It symbolises innocence, Eva’s choice of a blue stroller, blue bed sheets, blue baby boy shirts and his teenage room shows her ignorant struggle against the dominant red threatening to poison her blue dreams.
Sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P2DWeMcA44&ab_channel=LonnieDonegan-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqWwy6BCxxU&ab_channel=BuddyHolly-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26zXBbfWUKw&ab_channel=LonnieDonegan-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w7l2bZFWjc&ab_channel=LonnieDonegan-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFV_wlhRfn8&ab_channel=WashingtonPhillips-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI&ab_channel=WhamVEVOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0GESTUyhps&ab_channel=TheBeachBoys-Topichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGzbZIzEOCo&ab_channel=JanaWinderen-Topic
This is a film where extravagant sound is equally as important as the mundane sounds of a sprinkler. Tilda Swinton has quite an affinity for films with extraordinary sound, as seen in some of her other works like Only Lovers Left Alive. The soundtrack is filled with peculiar choices, like Mother’s Last Word To Her Son by Washington Philips. ‘’The world is so full of old sin and woe and many sorrows everywhere you go.’’ if we only knew that Kevin would be the sorrow of this world. Kevin ferociously biting into a lychee, symbolising the scotched eye of his little sister made my spine crawl with a Pop! The sound of his animalistic eating contributes to the already tarnished image we have in our minds. As the isolated sounds of humdrum noise create ghastliness, silence births the tension that can be sensed between mother and son. The absence of noise plays a vital role in the sound of this film, without racket we are pulled into the hostility of the unsaid. I believe the quietness represents the things that should be said about Kevin, but are clearly never talked about. The hateful unsaid between mother and son, the resentful stillness, maybe even stagnation between husband and wife. Listening to Aquaculture by Jana Winderen is the perfect background to talk about Kevin.
Why leave Eva alive?
Personally, I felt this was the biggest mystery, why leave Eva alive when he killed so many people, why did he spare the life of the one he hated the most?
She is the only person in his entire life that truly saw him and when she came face to face with the darkness within Kevin she did not shy away. Franklin fabricated a fictional Kevin, a good child, he only acknowledges the light side of Kevin, the blue boy. But Eva knew him, she stared at the monster inside Kevin, maybe even provoked it and she challenged. Maybe Kevin knew that there were urges inside himself, thus he only felt full of belonging with his mother that did not want him. Some would say Kevin’s choice was simply to torture Eva, he left her breathing so she could feel the pain, humiliation, longing and guilt. It is more than that, every person who has had a complicated relationship with a parent knows that love and hate reside simultaneously within your heart. You could also see this as Kevin’s final act to attract the attention of the mother who would rather be in Paris. It makes one wonder, can an unborn child feel the rejection seep from the mother that it is growing in? No matter the motivation behind the preservation of Eva, it stays a sinister salvation.
Final thoughts.
This film had me in a chokehold, maybe in some sadistic way I consider it a cinematic masterpiece. It corrupts the mind, it confuses rationality and it evokes fear. We need to talk about Kevin makes you want to talk about Kevin, decipher him, and fathom his being. The harmony between sound, silence, striking colour and sinister scenes blends to form a film like no other. It is uncomfortably exquisite, Swinton is a master of her craft. A must watch film.