Drama.
With Tilda Swinton, John C Reilly and Ezra Miller.
Director: Lynne Ramsay.
16LV.
Opens 27 January.
Rating: 4/5
What’s it about?
A devastated mother desperately tries to hang on to her dignity when the local community blames her for a tragedy caused by her sociopathic son.
Who will enjoy it?
One of the most emotionally disturbing films you’ll ever see, this is strictly for film fundis and those who enjoy dramatic, brutally unnerving movies.
This powerful flick doesn’t put a foot wrong and Tilda Swinton’s phenomenal performance as the shattered mother adds to the artistic value. Oscars await!
It achieves the impossible: to get under the skin and into the soul of a distressed woman whose whole life has been destroyed by her son in a self-satisfied, ruthless way that identifies him as a sociopath.
It’s one of the best examinations of a sociopath, someone who’s hated the world from the moment he was born, manipulated his parents and belittled his mother, driving her to breaking point.
Ezra Miller’s portrayal as Kevin brings new depth to a type of character that’s often portrayed merely as a stereotypical thug.
But it’s the director’s empathy with the mother figure, drawing you into her personal hell, that has such a devastating, numbing effect on audiences.
Prepare yourself for one of the year’s top dramatic experiences – it will leave you bewildered and haunt you for days. Tough as nails!
Similar films
Boy A; Notes on a Scandal.
Popcorn facts
*Tilda Swinton spent a week in a glass case as part of an art exhibition.
*Princess Diana was one of her classmates at school.
*The book the film is based on, by Lionel Shriver, won the UK Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005.
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