The desire or instinct to reproduce is given to man by nature. Many of us don’t even want to fight that. But what if you knew that your offspring could develop like the title character, played here by “The Flash” star Ezra Miller in a great, because it seems terrifyingly authentic, performance?
“We need to talk about Kevin“ runs today, March 2, 2024 at 10:00 PM on One. There will be a repeat on the night of March 3 to 4 at 2:20 am. Alternatively, you can watch the FSK-16 title for free on the ARD media library until April 1, 2024. However, due to the age restriction, this is only possible from 10 p.m. – unless you register there and confirm that you are of sufficient age. You can also stream the film for free on Amazon via Freevee. You don’t need a Prime account, just a customer account. In this case, however, you have to live with a few commercial breaks.
Kevin’s desperate mother, played by Ezra Miller (Jasper Newell plays him as a small child), is played by Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton,” “Doctor Strange”). The boy’s father is played by the always entertaining John C. Reilly from “Magnolia” and “Kong: Skull Island.”
“We need to talk about Kevin” on One: that’s the story
Ever since birth, Kevin (Miller) has been more than just headstrong: as a baby he screams out loud, as a toddler he reacts defensively and hostile to loving gestures from his mother Eva (Swinton), while as a teenager – apart from occasional tantrums – almost completely apathetic and disinterested.
When he is with his father Franklin (Reilly), the boy acts completely normal. That’s why he dismisses his wife’s concerns as exaggerated. But Eva begins to panic because of Kevin’s aggressive, almost sociopathic tendencies – also because she worries about the safety of her daughter Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich)…
Devastating and depressing, but totally worth it
The film (“A Beautiful Day”) by Lynne Ramsay is based on the novel by Lionel Shriver, which was also published in a German translation. Stylistically and stage-wise it is entirely anchored in the arthouse subject. Structurally and in terms of the intensity of the story told, ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ is a tough psychological thriller that pulls the rug out from under the audience.
The strong FILMSTARTS review with 4 out of 5 stars advises viewers to get involved with the film and stick with it: “After a conventional start, ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ develops a power and dynamism that is so compelling because the audience felt safe for a long time and thinks they know where the hare is going.”
‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ is also an extremely valuable film in the eyes of the author of these lines. And that despite (or because?) it is truly devastating and offers no solutions or explanations for the accident in question. However, young or expectant parents may need to approach it with caution. After all, it is not without reason that the work ended up in our top 25 most depressing films of all time:
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