Movie Review- We Need to Talk About Kevin

Movie Review- We Need to Talk About Kevin

The movie “We Need to Talk About Kevin” is a psychological thriller directed by Lynne Ramsay and released in 2011. The film presents a boy, Kevin, who has a psychological problem. The movie comprises two lines: one involving the present time, where the mother to Kevin, Eva, lives alone in an almost secluded area, and the other presents the past, where Eva lived with her family, husband Franklin, son Kevin, and daughter Celia. Kevin is presently in prison, having committed the murder of his teacher, fellow students, and, even more shockingly, his father and sister. Kevin was a problematic child who would cry incessantly, making it difficult for his mother to nurse him due to the frustrations of not responding to being lulled. As an older child, he refused to learn to use the bathroom, rejected any affection from his mother, and showed no interest in social life. He also began to communicate verbally at a much older age, making his mother think he might be autistic.

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Kevin was manipulative and used his parents whenever it suited him. He would become clingy to his mother while sick, and when he recovered, he became rude, insensitive, and abusive. He also showed no empathy to the plights of anyone in the family. Whereas Eva shows concern and even fear for her son’s personality, Franklin claims that “that is how boys are” and even enables his behaviour. Franklin teaches Kevin how to shoot using a bow and arrow, and he does it so perfectly that Franklin claims that he is a natural. Kevin becomes obsessed with using a bow and arrow, and as the movie progresses, he uses these tools to commit various murders, including his sister, father, teachers, and fellow students. Eva is left feeling disturbed and helpless as she contemplates what role she and her husband played in enabling Kevin’s behaviours.

Psychological Disorder Portrayed

This movie portrays antisocial personality disorder, also referred to as sociopathy. This is a psychological disorder where an individual is often exploitative, manipulative, insensitive to right or wrong, and is often criminal (Mental Health.gov, 2022). Such individuals typically seem charming at the surface but are likely to get aggressive, irresponsible, and irritable. They are also highly manipulative, and it might be difficult to tell when they are truthful or not. While this disorder is only diagnosed when an individual reaches 18 years, the symptoms commonly appear in childhood or even adolescence. At this point, the disorder is considered a conduct disorder (Psychology Today Staff, 2021). In the movie, Kevin’s manipulative behaviour can be seen in a scene where he frequently rejects affection from his mother and acts rudely towards her. However, he becomes needy and clingy when he gets sick, and his attitude towards his mother changes. This makes his mother happy as Kevin responds to her love and care. However, when he gets well, Kevin becomes rude, and when Eva offers to help him dress up or give him food, he responds, “I can dress myself. Can you leave,” and “I don’t give a rat’s ass,” respectively.

Additionally, Kevin would poop on his diapers immediately after being changed to annoy his mother; his mother got angry, pushing him and causing him to break his hand. Kevin fails to disclose this information as he plans to use it to manipulate and exploit his mother. His aggressive tendencies are seen in his commission of the murder of his classmates, teachers, father, and sister. His lack of judgment or consideration for what is right or wrong is observed where Kevin’s perspective of the shootings taking place in the US was that the killers did not do it right since they got caught, killed fewer individuals, and killed themselves if they bungled it. He shows no empathy for the victims of the murder and also shows no compassion towards his younger sister when she got hurt (lost her eyeball) from an accident caused by Kevin. Kevin was without any friends at a young age and was also disinterested in getting any. This is typical of antisocial personality disorder. He gets angry when his mother brings Celia, his younger sister, home, and his first response is to pour water on her face.

Psychological Treatment

When Kevin was young and could not vocalize any words, the doctor brushed Eva’s concern for the possibility of autism and claimed that Kevin was just fine. At this point, it would not be easy to diagnose sociopathic behaviour. The movie portrays how conduct disorders in children might be considered normal; therefore, treatment is barely sought. However, it would have been better to have a better glimpse at the psychological treatment or even help sought for the disturbing behaviours portrayed by Kevin.

Personal Opinion

Generally, the film is a good portrayal of the disorder. It shows how raising children with conduct disorder and the possibility of antisocial personality disorder can cause shame and guilt to their parents, particularly the mothers, for their misconduct. I would rate the movie a 4, mainly because it is quite challenging to understand it at first.

Impact on Society

Films, television shows, and the media, in general, are highly pervasive as they greatly influence how individuals view the world. However, media portrayal of psychological disorders is more often than not inaccurately portrayed. This is likely to cause the public to negatively perceive individuals with these disorders, hence maintaining the already-established stigma and stereotypes concerning mental disorders (Beachum, 2010). An inaccurate representation of a mental health problem is likely to cause significant harm to how individuals perceive such issues. They tend to result in harmful stereotypes and negative attitudes towards individuals with these illnesses and cause barriers for individuals dealing with the problem. However, some films show a correct portrayal of certain mental disorders. For instance, in “We need to Talk About Kevin,” the criminal behavior portrayed in the movie was highly accurate. A study on criminals in the US showed that about 18 per cent of them expressed antisocial personality disorder, the highest rate (Fakhrzadegan et al., 2017). Criminal behaviour is generally considered a vital diagnosis of the condition. By showing the criminality behaviours observed in Kevin, such as his way of killing his victims using a bow and arrow and his idea of how a murder should be successfully carried out, the film accurately portrays these tendencies.

However, not all individuals with antisocial personality disorder will commit a crime. By watching the movie, individuals are likely to believe that all criminals might probably suffer from this disorder. This is likely to generate a negative stereotype about individuals with the illness; hence, watching this movie will only enhance such perceptions about individuals with antisocial personality disorders. Beachum (2010) claims that portraying individuals with mental illnesses as unpredictable, violent, and dangerous in the media will likely cause public panic and reinforce the already existing stereotypes about these individuals.

Another accurate portrayal of the disorder in the film is the lack of mental health help offered to individuals with mental illnesses. The lack of knowledge of these disorders and the fear of stigmatization can cause individuals to shy away from seeking help. According to Beachum (2010), approximately two-thirds of individuals with mental health problems fail to seek help, and when they do, they do not obtain the help they need. Such individuals are usually regarded with fear, anger, misunderstanding, and even mockery. Furthermore, most movies portray these acts in a highly graphic manner. As a result, individuals who obtain knowledge about certain mental illnesses from the media have a higher likelihood of treating such people with intolerance and often advocate for more socially restrictive policies and attitudes and, ultimately, reduced social and healthcare support for them (Beachum, 2010). In the film, it can be noted that no form of help or support was offered to Kevin, and a majority of individuals are likely to support the harsh penalty given to him for his actions.

Conclusion

Generally, the media greatly influences individuals’ perceptions in society. Therefore, it is important to focus on an accurate portrayal of mental health issues to lessen the stigma and stereotypes surrounding these issues. I have grown to believe that individuals with mental health problems are often dangerous and violent. By observing these portrayals in the media, I feel that the media is a mirror of society. Consequently, if it shows such individuals as dangerous, they must be dangerous. However, through further reading and interaction with them, I am unlearning my biases as I understand that there is more to mental health problems than those portrayed in most films.

References

Beachum, L. (2010). The psychopathology of cinema: how mental illness and psychotherapy are portrayed in film. Grand Valley State University.

Fakhrzadegan, S., Gholami-Doon, H., Shamloo, B., & Shokouhi-Moqhaddam, S. (2017). The relationship between personality disorders and the type of crime committed and substance use among prisoners. Addiction & Health, 9(2), 64.

Mental Health.gov. (2022). Antisocial Personality Disorder. https://www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for/personality-disorders/antisocial-personality-disorder

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Antisocial Personality Disorder. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder

Ramsay, L. (2011). We Need to Talk about Kevin. Artificial Eye.

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Assignments
1. Become A Psychology Movies Film Critic
You will select one movie from the list provided and give a movie review, which will include the following-
Summary of the film

Movie Review- We Need to Talk About Kevin

What psychological disorder is portrayed in the film? How accurate is the portrayal? Explain and give examples.
How are the psychologists/treatments portrayed in the film? How accurate is the portrayal? Explain and give examples.
Your opinion of the film. Give the film a viewing rating (how many stars {out of 5}/must see/etc.).
Requirements-Typed, Minimum 2-pages (plus a title page and works cited page pages minimum) per film, 11 Font-Times New Roman, Double Spaced, Works cited page-MLA format
2. Impact on Society
After watching the film, write an essay on how these films impact/reflect society. How does the accurate or inaccurate portrayal of
disorders/psychologists/treatments/etc? cause people to interpret/interact differently? Use specific examples, other resources/research, and personal experiences to provide evidence of your conclusion.
Requirements-Typed, Minimum 2-pages (plus a title page and works cited page-4 pages minimum), 11 Font-Times New Roman, Double Spaced, Works cited page-APA format

This is on a movie called “We Need Talk About Kevin”