My partner and I decided to watch this film in a spur of the moment decision. Initially we had wanted to watch the Texas Killing Fields, unfortunately it was not showing. All I knew about this film was the title and that Tilda Swinton and John C. Reily were the starring roles. Due to the nature of Reily's past films I was under the impression I was going to see an awkward comedy. It became quickly evident I was wrong but the story which unfolded on the screen before me was not a disappointment. This seriously creepy and brilliantly artistic portrayal of a mother's unconditional love will capture you from the start and push you out of your comfort zone.
Tilda Swinton's skeletal figure fits the role of worried mother Eva, who is plagued by the actions of her son. Although you do not find out until the end exactly what has happened you are shown glimpses of the past from Eva's broken memory. In the present Eva is very much alone, isolated and vulnerable.
The plot gets quickly dark as she is struggling to find a job, when, finally she is excepted somewhere her momentary happiness is interrupted by a stranger who attacks her. A man tries to help by offering to ring the police after the unprovoked attack but Eva insists it was her own fault. It was clear to me sitting in my comfortable cinema seat something terrible had taken place and she was at the centre of it all. It occurred to me then, why hasn't she left? If something so terrible had happened where she lived and there were obviously bad memories why did she stay? My question was answered quite a bit later in the film after her memories began to form a more complete story.
She had met Franklin (John C. Reily) and fallen in love, the two had married and soon she became pregnant. Despite Franklin being happy about the unborn child, Eva was clearly alarmed. Her passion in life was travel and having a child and settling down in one place was worrying. Her freedom was taken by this child. Due to her heavy feelings of entrapment she did not bond with the baby. Throughout his childhood she is often frustrated and upset. She accuses the child of purposefully attacking her and making her life a misery. Franklin becomes worried that she is hallucinating because he only sees a fun loving, well behaved child. As a viewer you are allowed to see the twisted way the child, Kevin, plays his parents off against one another and terrorises his mother. The only time he seeks affection from her is when he is sick, but he quickly reverts back to his usual sadistic self.
Jumping forward a few years Eva falls pregnant again, this time her maternal instincts really kick in. Whether the first child was a shock, or she is finally ready or feels she wants to amend her first attempt at mother hood is unclear. What is very clear is the way she bonds with the second child immediately. Kevin now has a baby sister, Celia. Unfortunately, the family is a disaster waiting to happen and after a night out alone Franklin and Eva return to find Celia has had an accident which causes the loss of one eye. Eva blames Kevin, though Franklin's approach is based more on human error.
Throughout the stressful life Eva endures with Kevin she constantly tries to win his approval and affection, though she never succeeds. In one of her last memories she and the family leave for work and school. She remembers being sat at her desk when a college enters to break some bad news. There has been an incident at her sons school. Not knowing what to expect she attempts to get hold of Franklin and makes her way to the school. When she arrives the plays is a wash with sirens and people crying. She, like many of the other parents fears for her child and pushes toward the front of a crowd waiting to find out what has happened.
In a moment of disbelief Eva stands watching her son emerge from a sports centre with his hands raised. The police force him to the ground and he is apprehended. Smiling wryly at his mother as he is escorted off by the police another mother runs screaming as her daughter is wheeled out on an ambulance trolley. Many other children are brought out by the paramedics with arrows sticking out of them, gushing with blood and unable to stand.
Eva is shell shocked and returns home in a state of confusion. Once there she seeks out Franklin. She finds her husband and daughter in the back garden, both with arrows protruding from their cold wet torsos. I was shocked there was actual footage of the little girl lying dead in this film. Usually child deaths are covered and only suggested. The memory was dark and crushing. back in present time Eva visits Kevin in prison. She explains that he is nearly eighteen and therefore ready to be tried as an adult. He appears unphased. Before she leaves she asks the ever nagging question of why? He answers honestly remarking
"I used to think I knew. Now I'm not so sure."
At this point Eva hugs her son and he hugs her back. Once the credits began rolling I realised a lot of my questions had been answered. She stayed in town because she was close to Kevin. People blamed her simply because she was his mother, hence the unprovoked attack. She also blamed herself, hence the reason she didn't want the police involved. Most importantly she was still trying to achieve the love of her son and put right the bond between them. I believe in the end Kevin showed he had always loved her and he realised she loved him.
I came away from the film with a new batch of questions: why did Kevin not kill Eva?, Why did he kill Franklin, whom he seemed to favour as a child? Honestly, I hope these questions don't get answered as I believe everyone who views this film will have their own idea of how things were inside Kevin's head and how they would play out after his trial.
This film made my curl my toes in tension and wince away from the screen. Ezra Miller's portrayal of teenage Kevin reminded me of Richard Ramirez which added immensely to the eerie, evil teenager role. Overall I really rated this film as story and I loved the way it was shown. I urge you to make up your own mind and view this spine chilling tale of a mother and son's relationship.
I would like to read the novel now to see how the two compare. Possibly watch out for a review!
***** 5 Stars
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