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In studying a film such as We Need To Talk About Kevin, a film that’s widely regarded as a contemporary ‘classic’, there’s a wealth of discourse to engage with. The film offers up a rich experience for us as viewers of film and as readers of material about film. We might even say that the film achieved something of an ‘instant classic’ status. In using the word ‘classic’ what we’re doing is identifying a story that successive audiences ‘renew’ with significance, relevance and resonance for them and their place and time.
Context of production
- Cinema’s continuing high profile and influential status across various forms as a means of mass communication only heightens its relevance to the debates and concerns in the culture.
- We Need To Talk About Kevin was a primarily financed by the BBC and perhaps fits to some degree into a kind of filmmaking that emphasises ambiguity rather than certainty.
- After the screenplay by Lynne Ramsay was rewritten so that the scale of the film became more concentrated, the budget was approved.
- The film stars recognisable actors Tilda Swinton and John Riley and also showcases an emerging film star named Ezra Miller.
- For audiences, familiar actors can sometimes be their point of initial interest in a…
