We Need to Talk About Kevin (film)

We Need to Talk About Kevin
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLynne Ramsay
Screenplay by
Based onWe Need to Talk About Kevin
by Lionel Shriver
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySeamus McGarvey
Edited byJoe Bini
Music byJonny Greenwood
Production
companies
  • BBC Films
  • UK Film Council
  • Piccadilly Pictures
  • Footprint Investments
  • Lipsync Productions
  • Independent
  • Artina Films
  • Rockinghorse Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 12 May 2011 (2011-05-12) (Cannes)
  • 21 October 2011 (2011-10-21) (United Kingdom)
  • 9 December 2011 (2011-12-09) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes[3]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[4]
Box office$10.8 million[5]

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2011 psychological thriller drama film directed by Lynne Ramsay from a screenplay she co-wrote with Rory Stewart Kinnear, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver. A long process of development and financing began in 2005, with filming commencing in April 2010.

Tilda Swinton stars as the mother of Kevin, struggling to come to terms with her psychopathic son and the horrors he has committed. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2011.

Swinton was nominated for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.[6]

  1. ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin: world exclusive trailer – video" (includes video clip). The Guardian. London. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  2. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (14 October 2011). "Artificial Eye circles 360; company builds on Paramount ties". Screen International. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. ^ "We Need to talk About Kevin running time, production dates, budget". Movie Insider. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  5. ^ "We Need to Talk About Kevin". The Numbers.
  6. ^ "The 100 best films of the 21st century (so far)". Time Out Worldwide. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.