We Need to Talk About Kevin

"This conversation is long overdue."

2011 1h 53m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 3,227

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.

“This conversation is long overdue.”

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Cast

Tilda Swinton
Eva Khatchadourian
John C. Reilly
Franklin
Ezra Miller
Kevin, Teenager
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Wanda
Alex Manette
Colin
Jasper Newell
Kevin, 6-8 Years
Ashley Gerasimovich
Celia
Rocky Duer
Kevin, Toddler

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Writers: Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lynne Ramsay, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jonny Greenwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Bini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This conversation is long overdue.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1242460 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lynne Ramsay directs. Seamus McGarvey behind the camera. Jonny Greenwood scores. Joe Bini cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 15 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Lynne Ramsay, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jonny Greenwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joe Bini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "This conversation is long overdue.".
8IMDB entry: tt1242460 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 32 themes, including "based on novel or book", "psychopath", "mass murder", "pregnancy".
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Original score: Jonny Greenwood
Editing: Joe Bini
Production design: Judy Becker
Costume design: Catherine George
Makeup / hair: Cynthia O'Rourke
Sound: Robert Farr
Stunt coordinator: Blaise Corrigan
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,000,000
Box office: $10,800,000
Return: 154% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Lynne Ramsay

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2016-08-23
★ 7/10
Deeply disturbing and utterly engaging. Not one I can really see myself watching again. But I'm very glad to have watched it the once. Superbly cast and acted. Brilliant photographed and amazing direction. Not to be missed for those who can handle the subject matter. Final rating:★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time.
Reno2016-12-04
★ 6/10
How do you define a parenting failure! The film was based on the book of the same name, directed by a Scottish director. A psychological thriller, one of those what some people feel uncomfortable watching it. The film holds a suspense from the past event, it is not going to be revealed until the final quarter. Till then makes us to keep guessing it. Followed by the pieces of flashback, the story of a mother who struggled to raise his first born, a boy named Kevin was told. It takes us to show how happy she was before. Once she got pregnant, everything changed in her life forever. She failed to understand her son. Ever since he was a baby, he had given her a lot of trouble. When he reaches his teenage, it becomes even more complication to her to handle him and events around him. But a big blow is what shocks the entire neighbourhood and her life turns a hell. Shot within a month. Tilda Swinton's one of the best, maybe the best of all the bests. She should have been nominated for the Oscars. I think that's one of the greatest snub ever. The supporting cast was amazing too, including John C. Reilly in a small part and particularly those Kevins from different ages. The overall tone was great, the atmosphere was created perfectly to the kind of story it dealt. I should have watched it earlier, but you know the type of film we look for and moods, all some times influence to miss a film narrowly. Anyway, it was on my watch list and I am finally going to scratch that off. It was a good film, but there's nothing special. The theme was strong, and seems like straight out of a real event, particularly these things are common in the United States. So if you are an American or familiar with the American culture, it will interest you. This is not as inspiring film, but kind of factual film like parenting failure. The end was disturbing, yet there's nothing bold revelation in the narration. Definitely an interesting take, though blaming parents, especially the mother was kind of disappointing, as well as depressing. That's why the tale was commenced since pregnant till the final twist. Actually, it was the editing tricks that make the film to have a twist. Otherwise, it is a straightforward story. Not bad for viewing once. It was slow and too long, if you think you can manage that, then you could try it. 6/10
Nathan2023-05-15
★ 5/10
I enjoyed this, although I felt that it had potential to be really special. The direction was overall solid, with great audio and visuals beats that are present throughout the entire film. It creates subtle and eerie tension that continues to grow until the sinister climax of the film. Tilda Swinton was great and was really the only performance that stood out. John C. Reilly was such a weird choice, I do not really see him as a dramatic actor, and it kind of showed here. Ezra Miller was fine, though I thought they were a bit exaggerated. The pacing was pretty slow, I felt there was too much build up to the finale and not all of it was warranted. Two hours felt too long in my opinion. Overall, this is still a solid film with tremendous direction that is single handedly saved by Tilda Swinton. Score: 52% Verdict: Average